User:Cocobutter295/Immigration reform in the United States

President Donald Trump signed the "Buy American, Hire American" executive order in April 2017 that would direct U.S. agencies to propose rules to prevent immigration fraud and abuse in the program. They would also be asked to offer changes so that H-1B visas are awarded to the "most-skilled" or highest-paid applicants.

Revision of H-1B visa
H-1 B visa is a type of visa in the United States that allows an employer to hire a foreigner to perform a specific type of job. To qualify for a H-1 B visa, one must hold a bachelor’s degree or have a qualified amount of experience. The position has to be one that cannot be performed by a United States Citizen therefore, the position has to be an important specialty. If all these conditions are met, then a foreigner may apply for a H-1 B visa. The visa is valid for up to three years and after those three years, one may have to reapply. The H-1 B visa rose from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. Every fiscal year, there is a maximum number of H-1 B visas allowed to be awarded. An H-1 B visa is not a way of acquiring citizenship in the United States because the individual is working temporarily for their employer therefore, the employee does not have the freedom of switching jobs because there is already an agreement with the employer. If at any point, an employee is no longer satisfied with the employer, he/she will have to leave the country to maintain a legal immigration status.

When President Trump took office in 2017, he expressed concern that H-1 B visa, which had not had a reform since 1990 gave highly skilled foreigners access to take jobs away from United States citizens. The administration states that the use of H-1 B visas has caused a displacement of U.S. workers and that is something they would like to change. The first set of regulation which was by the Labor Department Regulation pushed for the reduction of the minimum wage of H-1 B visa holders. Their minimum wage was greatly reduced compared to what it used to be. Restrictions were also placed on some employment-based immigrant visas as well as some temporary visas. The second regulation, the DHS regulation, narrowed down the number of jobs that H-1 B visa holders would have been eligible for. Along with this reduction, the regulation has increased the scrutiny of whether an employer is adequately qualified under the H-1 B visa policy. In addition, instead of the three-year maximum that a H-1 B visa was valid for, this new regulation now narrows that time frame to one year.