Some changes to the H-1B visa program were already underway when President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Tuesday dubbed “Buy American, Hire American.” Jackson Lewis Principal Michael H. Neifach takes a closer look at the issue and some of the policies surrounding it.
Neifach reports that applications for H-1B visas were at their lowest point in five years and that government agencies have plans to target outsourcing firms for potential violations. Some changes can be done administratively, like increasing fees for petitions and instituting higher prevailing wage requirements.
At its heart, the executive order requires the departments to make proposals to ensure H-1B visas are going only to the most highly skilled workers and that American workers are not replaced by “cheap labor” from abroad.
“While there is no specific timetable set for the reports and reforms, the expectation is that things will start to happen soon,” he concluded.
