Team Trump Signals Major Policy Shift as Report Reveals Average Earnings of Green Card Holders
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says he is part of a significant overhaul that will affect the H1B and green card programs.
The Trump administration has announced a significant shift in its H-1B visa and green card program, which would affect millions of foreign workers and students living in the United States. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has labelled the H1B visa program a "scam" and stated that it will be changed.
"The existing H1B visa system is a hoax that allows foreign workers to fill American employment openings. Hiring American workers should be a top focus for all successful American firms. "Now is the time to hire Americans," he wrote in an online article.
Speaking with Fox News, Lutnick stated that he is a part of the big overhaul that would affect the H1B and green card programs. The top US official justified its rationale by pointing to pay disparities between typical Americans and green card holders.
"I am working to change the H1B programme because it is bad. We will alter the green card. The average American earns $75,000 per year, while the average green card recipient makes $66,000. So, we're going with the bottom quartile. Why are we doing it? That is what Donald Trump plans to alter. That's the gold card on the way. "We are going to start selecting the best people to enter the country," he stated.
The proposed reforms to the visa process include the elimination of the H-1B lottery system and a wage-based visa distribution system in which higher-earning candidates are preferred. The US government had previously adopted a draft rule to this effect.
The move is expected to have an impact on Indian workers and students in the United States, who have historically received 70% of H-1B visa allocations.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the United States has begun to tighten standards for foreign workers and students. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman, which assisted thousands of immigrants with visa issues, was shut down earlier this year.
In a break from prior procedures, H-1B holders must now give personal information such as biometric data and home addresses.
US Vice President JD Vance's remark that green cards do not grant "an individual an indefinite right to stay in the United States" has also cast doubt on the future of green cards, with Trump's signature "gold card" project marketed as a potential alternative.
The Trump administration has announced a significant shift in its H-1B visa and green card program, which would affect millions of foreign workers and students living in the United States. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has labelled the H1B visa program a "scam" and stated that it will be changed.
"The existing H1B visa system is a hoax that allows foreign workers to fill American employment openings. Hiring American workers should be a top focus for all successful American firms. "Now is the time to hire Americans," he wrote in an online article.
Speaking with Fox News, Lutnick stated that he is a part of the big overhaul that would affect the H1B and green card programs. The top US official justified its rationale by pointing to pay disparities between typical Americans and green card holders.
"I am working to change the H1B programme because it is bad. We will alter the green card. The average American earns $75,000 per year, while the average green card recipient makes $66,000. So, we're going with the bottom quartile. Why are we doing it? That is what Donald Trump plans to alter. That's the gold card on the way. "We are going to start selecting the best people to enter the country," he stated.
The proposed reforms to the visa process include the elimination of the H-1B lottery system and a wage-based visa distribution system in which higher-earning candidates are preferred. The US government had previously adopted a draft rule to this effect.
The move is expected to have an impact on Indian workers and students in the United States, who have historically received 70% of H-1B visa allocations.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the United States has begun to tighten standards for foreign workers and students. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman, which assisted thousands of immigrants with visa issues, was shut down earlier this year.
In a break from prior procedures, H-1B holders must now give personal information such as biometric data and home addresses.
US Vice President JD Vance's remark that green cards do not grant "an individual an indefinite right to stay in the United States" has also cast doubt on the future of green cards, with Trump's signature "gold card" project marketed as a potential alternative.