Trump Takes Aim At H-1B Visa Programme With His ‘Buy American, Hire American’ Order

United States President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to review a visa programme used by companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers in the country.

Trump signed an executive order billed as 'Hire American, Buy American' yesterday afternoon (18 April) at the headquarters of tool manufacturer Snap-on (SNA) in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Will the order change the H-1B visa programme? Not yet, since there is no direct action to that effect in the order, but there is an invitation for reform proposals from US agencies in view of the programme. As reported by Annalyn Kurtz for Fortune, a senior administration official said the goal is to eventually move away from the existing random lottery system to one that favours higher-skilled, higher-paid workers, like those with master’s degrees.

With regards to the second half of the title, “hire American”, government agencies would be encouraged to give priority to American companies when awarding contracts, with a review of waivers and exemptions that allowed the use of foreign-made products, reported the Washington Post.

While the White House has said the H-1B visa programme undercuts American workers by bringing in cheaper, foreign workers in large numbers, driving down wages, the tech industry has argued that the H-1B programme was needed because it encouraged students to stay in the US after getting degrees in high-tech specialties.

With Inputs From ANI.