Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy may be advising President-elect Donald Trump cuts in federal spending But he also has some advice for them regarding the American workforce, urging his next administration to bring in more foreign tech workers.
Musk and Ramaswamy's views have sparked an online dispute between factions of Trump supporters over immigration and the tech industry, whose businesses bring in thousands of foreign engineers and other skilled workers each year from India, China and other countries. Rely on 1B visa. ,
The tech industry has long sought more H-1B visas to attract high-skilled workers to the US, although Trump's first administration program banned In 2020, arguing that it allows businesses to replace Americans with low-wage foreign workers.
This debate has flared up again after Musk, who himself was once on an H-1B visa and whose electric vehicle company is Tesla, has hired workers Defended the need for the tech industry to bring in foreign workers, using the program. Ramaswami, on his part, wrote An X post states that American culture has “valued mediocrity over excellence,” leading to a country that “doesn't produce the best engineers.”
“There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. This is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley,” Musk wrote on his social media app
Here's what to know about the debate and the H-1B visa.
How did the latest H-1B debate start?
The debate began this week when Laura Loomer, a right wing influencer Criticized Trump's selection of Sriram Krishnan as an advisor on artificial intelligence policy in his incoming administration, with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants to the US
Loomer declared this stance “not an America First policy” and said that tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump are doing so to enrich themselves.
Loomer's comments sparked a confrontation with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sachs, whom Trump has called the “White House AI and crypto czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government, defended the tech industry's need to bring in foreign workers.
It turned into a big debate with more figures from the hard right about the need to keep American workers employed, whether the values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the Internet, new influences in a Trump world. What do the technical figures and their political movements indicate?
Who is eligible for H-1B visa?
US Citizenship and Immigration Services They say The H-1B visa is designed for professionals with “theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge”, and who have a bachelor's degree or higher in their field.
Those professionals must be offered a temporary job by a U.S. company, which must offer wages that are no less than those paid to similarly qualified workers or less than the prevailing wage for the job in that geographic area. Not where that person will work.
How many workers get H-1B visas?
USCIS says the US has limited the number of H-1B visas to 65,000 new visas each year, although an additional 20,000 visas can be granted for people with a master's degree or higher. The visa is valid for three years, but can be extended for a further three years.
However, the US approves extensions every year for people already working on H-1B visas 2023 report Noting that the agency has greenlighted more than 309,000 requests for continued employment under the visa program.
Which countries do H-1B recipients come from?
More than 7 in 10 H-1B visa recipients are from India, followed by 1 in 10 recipients from China. According to USCIS, the remaining H-1B visa holders are from several countries, including Canada, Korea, the Philippines, Mexico and Taiwan. Report.
What is the debate about H-1B visa?
Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers are critical to filling hard-to-fill positions used by software engineers and others in the tech industry.
But critics have said they underestimate the number of American citizens who can take these jobs. Some on the right have called for ending the program, not expanding it.
Some investigations including 2017 report CBS's “60 Minutes” revealed that while many businesses use the program at will, some have taken advantage of the visa program to replace American workers with less expensive temporary foreign workers.
What does Donald Trump say about H-1B visa?
Trump has not yet addressed the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment.
But Trump's stance over the past few years has reflected divisions in his movement. His harsh immigration policies, including a pledge to end mass deportations, were at the center of his victorious presidential campaign.
He has focused on immigrants who come to the US illegally, but he has also sought to curb legal immigration, including family-based visas.
As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” to American workers. After becoming president, Trump issued the “Buy American and Hire American” executive order in 2017, directing Cabinet members to ensure H-1B visas are granted to the highest-paid or most skilled applicants to protect American workers. Instructions were given to suggest changes to be made.
In 2020, the Trump administration required employers to pay higher wages to H-1B holders, arguing that the move would discourage American companies from turning to cheaper labor overseas.
Contributed to this report.