America: Why did Donald Trump's tone change on H1B visa?

On 20 January 2025, Donald Trump is going to take oath as the President of America once again. On hearing the name of his administration, strict policies and anti-immigration stance come to mind. But this time there is a twist in the story. Trump's changed stance on H-1B visas is shocking the entire world including India. Leaders who once openly opposed this visa are now suddenly seen in its favor.

The spark of this controversy erupted when Trump appointed Indian-origin Sriram Krishnan as the AI ​​policy head in his administration. The entry of Krishnan, who is considered a supporter of the H-1B visa, caused a stir in the right-wing camp. Trump's close and vocal leader Laura Loomer criticized Krishnan on Twitter (formerly Twitter), calling it against the "America First" policy.

Now two factions have emerged in Trump's camp - one wants a complete ban on H-1B visas, while the other considers it essential for America's current needs. So let's know what are the reasons behind this changing attitude?

What has Trump said before, what should he say now?

Trump has said, "I believe in H-1B visa. There are many people with H-1B visas in my companies too. I have used it many times and it is a great program. Earlier, Tesla owner Elon Musk also posted on X in which he vowed to go to war in support of H-1B visas for foreign workers.

Trump's latest statement is completely opposite to the statement he made during the US presidential election campaign this year. During the election campaign, Trump talked about removing illegal immigrants from the country and making the visa policy stricter. Trump himself had created a ruckus over the H-1B visa during his previous presidential term.

Then a large number of visa applications from India were rejected. In the year 2020, Trump suspended H-1B and L-1 visas. He said that due to this, American companies harm the American people by bringing foreign workers at low salaries. But now he is seen standing with people like Musk and Vivek Ramaswami.

What is an H-1B visa?

H-1B is a non-immigrant visa which is issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. This visa is usually issued to those people who are associated with a particular profession such as IT professionals, architecture, health professionals, etc. Only those people who get H1B visas are allowed to work temporarily in America.

It completely depends on the employer, meaning if the employer fires you and no other employer offers you a job, the visa will expire. America gives H-1B visas to 65,000 people every year. Its time limit is 3 years. If needed, it can be extended for another 3 years.

In America, 7 out of 10 H-1B visas are given to Indians. After this comes China, Canada, South Korea. Out of the 2 lakh 65 thousand visas issued in 2023, Indians got the highest share of 72.3. About 12 percent of the visas were given to China. In 2023, Infosys, TCS, HCL, and Wipro got approval for about 20 thousand H1-B visas.

Musk connection to Trump's changing stance

Behind this big change of Donald Trump is the Elon Musk effect, who has openly supported the H-1B visa. Musk says that his companies, such as SpaceX and Tesla, have reached great heights only due to H-1B visa holders. Musk himself is an immigrant and believes that there is a shortage of talent in America.

In his words: "If you want to make your team a champion, you have to bring the best players, no matter where they are from in the world." But Trump's U-turn has created a stir among his supporters. Some are considering it against his 'America First' policy. Clearly, Trump's changed stance on H-1B visa is clearly reflecting Musk's influence and the needs of the tech industry.

Why is it important for America?

This visa is also important for America because Americans are far behind the people of India and China in subjects like mathematics and science, about which many leaders, from Barack Obama to Biden, have been expressing concern. American companies also call a large number of skilled people to America on this visa.

America does not have as many engineers and skilled workers as it needs. From Google, Apple, Microsoft to Musk's companies, all believe that H1B visa is very important. It is used by both our companies and American companies.