H-1B visa program: Despite earlier criticism, Trump, the president-elect, has publicly stated his support for the H-1B program. Elon Musk, a tech billionaire, has also defended it, saying that it attracts the “top 0–1 percent of engineering talent.”
Trump attempted to restrict the H-1B visa program during his prior administration. Higher H-1B/L-1 visa processing fees, higher H-1B rejection rates, and wage inflation for H-1B resources were all consequences of his policies. Supporters of former President Donald Trump are embroiled in a major immigration dispute over the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. businesses to employ qualified foreign laborers in particular sectors.
Trump supporters claim that the H-1B program is crucial for luring top international talent to the United States, while detractors claim it threatens American jobs. Despite earlier criticism, Trump, the president-elect, has made a significant change by publicly endorsing the program. Elon Musk, a tech billionaire, has also defended it, saying that it attracts the “top 0–1 percent of engineering talent.”
Where did it all start?
President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of well-known Indian-American venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence sparked the controversy.
His appointment comes as the US government is debating lifting the country cap on H-1B visas, which could greatly increase employment prospects for Indian skilled workers, especially in the engineering and technology fields.
Laura Loomer, a far-right political activist, has become a vocal critic, especially of Krishnan’s backing for lifting country-specific green card caps, a move meant to ease the protracted backlog that Indian applicants face.
H1 Visa Overview
Established in 1990, the H-1B visa program normally permits a stay of three years, with the possibility of an extension to six years. The program has had an annual cap of 85,000 new visas since 2004, with 20,000 set aside for international students who have advanced degrees from U.S. S. academic institutions. Universities and non-profit research organizations, among other institutions, are exempt from this cap, which leads to the issuance of more visas.
In 2023 fiscal year, the U.S. Nearly 119,000 new visas and about 267,000 extensions were among the more than 386,000 H-1B applications that were authorized by the USCIS. Compared to over 474,000 approvals in 2022, this represented a decrease.
65 percent of H-1B visa holders are employed in computer-related occupations, and the majority of them work in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon are all significant employers. Amazon topped the list in 2024, employing more than 13,000 H-1B employees.
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Indians are First on the list
With more than 70% of petitions granted since 2015 going to Indian nationals, people born in India are the main beneficiaries of the H-1B visa program in the United States. On the other hand, since 2018, the percentage of Chinese individuals has decreased to about 12–13 percent.
Some MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans have taken notice of the program’s disproportionate number of Indian participants and are arguing against skilled labor migration from India with similar arguments to those they use against low-skilled labor migration from Mexico and Central America.
Trump is on board.
Trump, however, sided with Elon Musk in the ongoing discussion about immigration visas by stating that he supports them for highly skilled workers.
“I’ve always been in favor of visas. Trump told The New York Post, “That’s why we have them,” alluding to the H-1B visa program, which permits employers to employ foreign nationals for specialized positions.
However, his devoted MAGA supporters are pleading with him to keep his pledge to strengthen immigration laws and give preference to American workers.
H1B Visa : अमेरिका में क्यों जरूरी है H1 B Visa, जानें इसके फायदे
Elon Musk’s H-1B U-turn: Days After ‘Will Go To War’ Promise, Musk Says Visa System ‘Broken’
Elon Musk is a huge support for H-1B
Trump’s comments came a day after Musk, in response to criticism, said he would “go f–k yourself” and go to “war” on the matter. MAGA supporters have criticized Musk and other critics like Laura Loomer and Ann Coulter, claiming that the H-1B program has been misused and requires drastic cuts.
According to Musk and Ramaswamy, engineers and other professionals from nations like India are crucial to the US tech sector. Musk mentioned a “permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent” in Silicon Valley in a post on X, saying, “If you want your team to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be.”
