US softens visa stance, may help Indian professionals

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for adopting a merit-based immigration system that could benefit high-tech professionals from countries like India, modifying his hard-line campaign rhetoric with a promise to revive the “American spirit”.

Mr Trump, during his first address to Congress, noted that “nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others have a merit-based immigration system”. He said that such a system will save countless dollars and raise workers’ wages.

Mr Trump introduced the idea of a merit-based immigration system after invoking the memory and words of late president Abraham Lincoln, saying, “Lincoln was right — and it is time we heeded his words.”

“Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families — including immigrant families — enter the middle class,” Mr Trump said in a State of the Union-style address that lasted for an hour.

US stocks surged back to records in early trading Wednesday, with the Dow topping 21,000 for the first time, as markets embraced the softer tone in President Donald Trump’s address.

Indian IT professionals account for the largest number of foreign nationals coming to the US on H-1B visas. Indians also form a significantly large number of foreign workers coming to the US as scientists, doctors, engineers and other highly-skilled professionals.

During his presidential campaign, Mr Trump had promised to increase oversight of our H-1B and L-1 visa programmes that are used widely by Indian tech companies.

The H1-B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows American firms to employ foreign workers in occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year.

Trump during his campaign had promised  measures like cracking down on undocumented immigrants, restricting travel to the US to stop immigrants entering the country, drawing a sharp reaction from fellow lawmakers and countrymen. In his address, Trump said that he has inherited a very bad economy.

“As I outline the next steps we must take as a country, we must honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited. Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labour force. Over 43 million people are now living in poverty. And over 43 million Americans are on food stamps,” he said.

“We have the worst financial recovery in 65 years. In the last eight years, the past administration has put on more new debt than nearly all of the other presidents combined,” he said.