Washington: US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Thursday that the Trump administration wants to attract exceptional foreign talent, including people like Elon Musk, but will not allow immigration programmes to be used to replace American workers with lower-paid employees from overseas.
Vance said the United States would continue welcoming foreigners with extraordinary skills and abilities, but added that the H-1B visa programme had moved away from its original purpose.
“We want a lot of other people to come into the United States of America if they have truly elite specialised skills,” he told reporters during a press conference on visa fraud.
His remarks came in response to a question about Musk, who had studied in the United States and was accepted at Stanford University before building his business empire.
A reporter asked how the administration could identify the next Musk while restricting opportunities for foreign workers and researchers.
Vance said immigration authorities should apply two tests when considering foreign professionals.
The first, he said, was whether the applicant would fill a position that could not be filled by an American worker.
The second was whether the individual possessed exceptional abilities.
“Are they truly bringing in a special set of skills and abilities and work ethic and competence?” he asked.
Vance said the administration was not opposed to foreign professionals contributing to American innovation and economic growth.
He cited Musk and AMD chief executive Lisa Su as examples of people whose contributions demonstrated the value of exceptional international talent.
However, he added that many employers were using immigration programmes to recruit foreign workers for jobs that Americans could perform.
“Unfortunately, what we see with most H-1Bs is that you’re taking somebody, I’m sure in most cases, a decent human being, and they’re using them to replace an American middle-class worker,” Vance said.
The Vice-President also defended the administration’s decision to impose an additional fee on H-1B applications.
He said that companies seeking genuinely exceptional workers should be willing to pay more to recruit them.
“If you’re actually bringing a truly elite, genius-level, super-specialised person into the United States of America, you’re gonna be willing to pay a little bit extra to bring that person into the, into your company,” Vance added.
He said that the higher cost would discourage employers seeking foreign workers primarily to reduce wages.
The H-1B programme allows American employers to hire foreign professionals in specialised occupations, including technology, engineering and scientific research. Employers must meet applicable eligibility and wage requirements.
The programme is particularly significant for Indian professionals, who have historically accounted for a large share of H-1B visa recipients.
Changes in the administration’s approach to eligibility and recruitment could therefore have important implications for Indian technology workers seeking employment in the United States.
(IANS)
