Donald Trump backs H1B reforms Bill, says US lawmaker

President Donald Trump supports a Bill that proposes massive hike in the minimum salary for those employed on H1B visas, an influential American lawmaker has said. 

Congressman Darrell Issa, who recently introduced the legislation, insisted that his move will bring the best talents to the US and help fix the flaws in the existing H1B system. “The president supports (the Bill). I think we will have strong support in the Senate,” he told a Washington audience at an event hosted by Atlantic Council at the Capitol Visitor Center.

He alleged that Indian companies have “gamed the system” and made the “best use of this flawed immigration system”. “You can’t have 75 per cent of a programme going to an Indian-owner, Indian-operated, Indian employee visas and not say that this is distortion,” Issa said, adding that it’s common sense to hire the best and not the other way around.

“It will be interesting that a relatively simple change (in H1B visas) that does not target India, somehow happens to be accommodation for it,” he said.

“Today 75 per cent of all H1Bs are coming in about $60-65,000, which is pretty absurd considering these are high-skilled visas. If they are told to write $100,000 to get H1B visa, they will write that cheque,” he said. The lawmaker from California called for fixing the system and removing the country-based caps. He also said increasing the salary would raise the quality of people coming to the US.

“An auction system is not a bad way to go,” he said.

“A graduate with a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degree from a US university is not going to take a job with $60,000 salary. That’s the reality,” said the Congressman.

The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows American firms to employ foreign workers in occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

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