Trump’s administration wants to increase restrictions on H-1B visas

The Trump administration plans to implement more restrictions on H-1B work permits.

H-1B Visa- Brief Explanation

The H-1B Visa is a legal work permit that allows local companies to bring specialized foreigners to work in certain areas of the US market.

The local employers must fill out a form and submit the application to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for approval.

If you need more information and professional advice in Business Immigration, Motion Law can help you.

The government’s opinion regarding H-1B Visas

The President of the US assures that these permits assigned to specialized foreign workers adversely affect legal citizens.

Some of his arguments are:

• When local companies hire foreign workers, the employment opportunities for legal citizens decrease.
• The intellectual and investigative development of the American population could stagnate if only specialized foreigners are hired.
• Local businesses should offer wages and employment opportunities primarily to citizens trained in specific roles.
• Local companies are reducing the possibility for recent college graduates to implement their knowledge in specialized work areas.

For these and many other reasons, the US government wants to reduce the number of H-1B work permits issued annually.

However, experts around the country assure that these arguments have no demonstrable basis or solidity.

A recent study contradicts these arguments

A study conducted by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) shows that allowing more skilled foreign workers helps the local population.

This study used data obtained from:

• USCIS.
• American Community Survey (ACS).

The analysis covers a period of 13 years, from 2005 to 2018.

Let’s look at some of the results and figures found in the study.

1. H-1B Visas boost local employment

The study shows that allowing specialized foreign workers to enter the US with H-1B Visas encourages the employment of local workers in specialized areas as well.

The results clearly demonstrate that foreign workers do not negatively affect the employment available for legal citizens.

In fact, one of the requirements to bring employees from abroad is to demonstrate that there is no local workforce available for the specific role.

2. Earnings increase thanks to H-1B visas

The study shows that if the current government enlarges the number of H-1B Visas issued annually, the earnings growth for the US would increase considerably.

In fact, the results suggest that American workers’ salary increases thanks to the competitiveness that foreign workers bring to the country.

3. H-1B visas do not diminish opportunities for recent graduates

The more H-1B work permits are approved, the more job opportunities there are for recent graduates, the study shows.

According to the results, H-1B visas reduce unemployment rate because they promote the development of small and medium-sized companies, providing more opportunities to legal citizens.

If you want to know more details about the study’s results, please click here.

Key elements of the study

The data shows that “the evidence points to the presence of H-1B visa holders being associated with lower unemployment rates and faster earnings growth among college graduates, including recent college graduates”.

Therefore, the figures emphasize that the government’s opinion does not have solid foundations and suggest the increase of H-1B Visas issued annually in the US.

“Further, the results suggest that, if anything, being in a field with more H-1B visa holders makes it more likely that U.S.-born young college graduates work in a job closely related to their college major”.

The importance of these results amid a global pandemic

One of the reasons this study was conducted was to analyze the impact of a possible reduction in the emission of H-1B Visas during the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

The government assures that it is imperative to reduce employment to foreign workers to preserve opportunities for local workers.

However, the study took data obtained during the Great Recession between 2007 and 2009 to explain the repercussions of reducing work permits to foreigners during the current crisis.

Some of the findings are the following:

• During the Great Recession, the most affected market areas were those that denied H-1B work permits. The unemployment rate increased and earnings declined compared to market areas with foreign workers.
• The foreign workforce was essential to overcome the Great Recession’ crisis (similar to the one we are currently experiencing).
• The companies did not have enough specialized local workers available to supply the market’s needs and North American families suffered the consequences.

Seek the right guidance for any immigration concern

We are going through a very delicate moment in the recent history of our society.

Therefore, it is always advisable to seek specialized help to protect the future of our families.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.