Trump tweets on Friday: “H1-B holders in the United States can rest assured that changes are soon coming.”
While hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa holders in the United States remain curious about the course the employee visa program would take in the coming years, on Friday morning, President Trump broke some news on the issue.
The president tweeted that his administration is in the process of planning an overhaul of US policies on H-1B visa. In the tweet, he also talked about how the new policy will encourage highly skilled and talented people in America.
The tweet read: “H1-B holders in the US can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship. We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the US.”
H1-B holders in the United States can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship. We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the U.S.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2019
While the presidents’ assurance may come as a relief for many, especially Indians who are currently on H-1B visa, most of whom are in the IT sector and have to wait for about a decade for their green card or permanent residency to arrive.
Ever since Trump took office, the future of H-1B visa has remained uncertain. During the 2016 campaign, Candidate Trump had routinely denounced H-1B visas, saying that they displace American workers. Since he came to power, his administration has taken a stricter stand on the extension and issuance of H-1B.
More: The American Bazaar’s H-1B archive
The non-immigrant visa, allows US employers to hire graduate level workers in specialty occupations in the country.
The USCIS allots about 85,000 visas each year. Under the “Buy American, Hire American,” executive order signed by Trump, the visas are now being granted to the most skilled of workers. As a result, many have experienced delays or an increased Request for Evidence (RFE) during their visa processing.
If Trump’s tweet on Friday is an indication, the process might become a little smoother for visa and green card aspirants.
READ MORE:
Waiting for the Wait to End: The human face of Indian immigrants caught in the Green Card backlog (December 4, 2018)
H-4 and H-1: Time for Indian immigrants to speak up on immigration policy, says author Amy Bhatt (January 5, 2019)