‘Hire Americans’: New Trump order to crack down on work visas for foreigners
RT.com
18 Apr, 2017
US President Donald Trump is to sign an executive order to revamp the visa program for foreign workers. According to the White House, the order is aimed at curbing fraud and abuse in the immigration system and protecting US workers.
Trump will sign an executive order pushing his ‘Buy American and Hire American’ approach during a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, according to a White House official. The order will reform the H-1B visa system, used by companies to hire foreigners to fill positions requiring specialist knowledge.
“This executive order will call for the strict enforcement of all laws governing entry into the United States of labor from abroad for the stated purpose of creating higher wages and higher employment rates for workers in the United States,” a senior administrative official told reporters.
The move aims to “crack down on fraud and abuse” and help American workers, especially in the tech sphere, who are often replaced by foreigners on lower wages. The official also pointed out that “groups that represent workers have begged for reforms” for a long time but “they’ve been ignored by, frankly, the political system.”
Tens of thousands who apply for H-1B visas each year are hired by IT companies. According to the White House official speaking at a briefing, “80 percent of H-1B workers are paid less than the median wage in their fields,” so companies are reportedly able to abuse the program to hire cheaper labor and replace American workers.
“The result is that workers are often brought in well below market rates to replace American workers, violating the principle of the program, which is supposed to be a means for bringing in skilled labor. Instead, you’re a lot of times bringing in workers that are less skilled and lower paid than the workers they’re replacing,” the official said.
The Rest…HERE
