President Trump signed a proclamation at the Oval Office on the 19th (local time) calling for a major overhaul of the H-1B visa program.
The H-1B visa is a representative work visa for professionals in the STEM field, which is issued 85,000 times a year. Basic three-year stay is allowed, extension is allowed, and permanent residency application is also allowed. However, the new visa will require companies to pay a fee of 100,000 dollars per person every year and cover up to 600,000 dollars for a six-year stay.
Commerce Secretary Howard Rutnick, who attended the signing ceremony, said, "Companies must determine whether the workforce is worth $100,000 a year. If it's not worth it, it will go back to its home country, and the position will be filled by Americans."
President Trump said at the signing ceremony, "Companies will have to pay a lot for H-1B visas in some cases." The proclamation included the perception that H-1B was abused as a low-wage labor force rather than attracting high-skilled workers, distorting the U.S. labor market.
The executive order also cited statistics showing that the number of foreign STEM personnel has surged from 1.2 million to 2.5 million since 2000, while overall STEM employment has only increased by 44.5% over the same period. In particular, it pointed out as a problem that there were cases of American dismissal as IT companies used H-1B to put in low-wage foreign workers.
The reshuffle is expected to bring about repercussions as it coincides with the recent detention of more than 300 Koreans at a construction site for a Korean company in Georgia. There are observations that the two countries could discuss separate tracks for personnel dispatched by Korean companies, but there are also predictions that barriers to entry of foreign professional personnel into the U.S. will increase overall.
On the same day, President Trump also signed an executive order to establish a new "Gold Card" program, a permanent resident visa. This system gives benefits to expedited visa issuance when an individual pays 1 million U.S. dollars or a company pays 2 million dollars.
"Gold cards will replace existing EB-1 and EB-2 visas, and 80,000 will be issued annually," Rutnick said. In addition, plans to introduce a "platinum card," which allows foreign income tax exemption and 270 days of stay per year when paying $5 million, were also unveiled.
President Trump said, "We will prioritize talent and investors who will end illegal immigration and give real benefits to the United States," adding, "It will also contribute to tax cuts and debt repayment."
Reporter Hong Seong-hyo, [email protected]
The U.S. has increased visa fees by a factor of 100.
While urging foreign companies to invest and build factories in America, it demands $100,000 per skilled worker entering the country. Yet, the U.S. lacks the very skilled workforce it needs.
One has to wonder—do they truly seek investment and the growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities?
Is this level of contradiction something they genuinely fail to grasp? Or is “investment” simply a euphemism for “pay us”? Their actions make it impossible to tell.
Rather than paying such exorbitant visa fees to invest in the U.S., halting trade with them might be a more viable option.
They no longer appear to be allies, but rather a group driven solely by profit.
It’s time we seriously reflect on where our true interests lie.
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