Trump set to clamp down on H1B visas

Washington, January 31 

In a pincer-like attack that can hurt the Indian IT industry and professionals, US President Donald Trump is set to sign an order overhauling work visa programmes like H1B type, while a legislation proposing doubling the minimum salary of foreign workers to $130,000 is in the works — making it difficult for firms to replace American employees with foreign staff.  

Nearly two-thirds of H1B visa applicants are Indians, who either work for Indian IT firms such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro or the local operations of US firms such as Accenture, IBM and Google. 

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The leaked draft of the executive order says the Trump administration would reverse ex-President Barack Obama’s extension of the duration of the optional practical training work visas, which allowed foreign students to stay in the US a bit longer after completion of their studies.

Within 90 days of the signing of the order, the Secretary of Homeland Security would have to review all regulations that allow foreign nationals to work in the US and determine which of those regulations violate the immigration laws or are not in national interest.

The executive order will also ask the Secretaries of Labour and Homeland Security to restore the integrity of employment-based non-immigrant worker programmes and better protect US and foreign workers affected by these programmes.

It also proposes a commission to analyse the immigration policies and their impact on America. — Agencies