The White House said on Monday it was working on changes in H-1B and other guest worker visa programmes through legislative and executive actions as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration reform, even as a Bill introduced by a Democratic lawmaker proposed new restrictions on H-1B visas.
These visa programmes are mandated by the legislature and are widely used by Indian IT companies to place skilled workers in the U.S. A leaked draft of an executive order under consideration for presidential signature proposes restrictions on the Optional Practical Training (OPT) work, a job training opportunity available for Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Masters from a U.S. university. It also proposes to roll back the permission to work currently available to spouses of H-1B visa holders and to replace the current lottery system that selects the 85,000 annual H-1B visa beneficiaries. This year’s selection process opens on April 1.
According to the draft published by Vox.com, the Trump administration is also planning to have federal inspectors regularly visit the sites where guest workers are employed.
“I think with respect to H-1Bs and other visas... [it] is [all] part of a larger immigration reform effort the President will continue to take through executive order and through working with the Congress…,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Monday.
