The Trump administration is indicating a major shake-up of its green card and H-1B visa programs, a change that would impact millions of foreign students and workers who live in the United States. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has referred to the H-1B visa program as a "scam" and said major changes are imminent.
"The present H1B visa system is a hoax that allows foreign employees to take American job postings. Every great American company should have hiring American workers as its first priority. It is time to hire American," Lutnick wrote in an online post.
During an interview with Fox News, Lutnick affirmed his participation in a comprehensive reform of the green card and H-1B programs. He named wage discrepancies between average American workers and green card recipients as one of the reasons for making such changes.
"I am involved in reforming the H1B program because that is horrible. We are going to reform the green card. The mean American is making $75,000 a year, and the mean green card holder $66,000. So, we are taking the lowest quartile. Why are we doing this? That's what Donald Trump is going to reverse. That's the gold card that's on its way. We are going to begin selecting the best people to come into the country," he explained.
Among the reforms proposed are the abolition of the H-1B lottery system and the implementation of a wage-based visa distribution, which would favor higher-paid applicants. A draft rule to this effect has already been endorsed by U.S. authorities.
The new reforms are most likely to affect Indian students and workers in the U.S., who have traditionally accounted for about 70% of H-1B visa holders.
Since President Trump became president in January, the U.S. has already started to tighten up regulations for foreign students and workers. Earlier this year, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman, which helped thousands of immigrants with visa problems, was closed.
Additionally, H-1B holders are now being asked to provide more personal data, including residential addresses and biometric information.
Issues regarding the future of green cards have also emerged after U.S. Vice President JD Vance said green cards do not give "an individual an indefinite right to stay in the United States." At the same time, Trump's suggested "gold card" plan has also been presented as a possible alternative.
