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‘Great': Elon Musk on Trump admin's proposal to overhaul H1-B visa lottery system
‘Great': Elon Musk on Trump admin's proposal to overhaul H1-B visa lottery system

Hindustan Times

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • Hindustan Times

‘Great': Elon Musk on Trump admin's proposal to overhaul H1-B visa lottery system

The Donald Trump-led administration plans to overhaul the H1-B visa lottery system, replacing it with a more weighted and wage-linked selection process. The visa system has been a topic of debate between Trump and his supporters.(Bloomberg) According to a filing by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 17, the administration has proposed the introduction of a "weighted selection process" for the capped category of the system. The proposal has been submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Reacting to the development, Elon Musk gave a one-word response on social media platform X. 'Great,' the Tesla CEO said. Musk has in the past said that the H1B visa system is 'broken', while pledging that he would 'go to war on this issue'. 'I've been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform,' Musk said last year. The visa system has been a topic of debate between Trump and his supporters. The US President's MAGA base has also opposed Musk's take on the immigration policy. The proposal by the DHS looks to prioritise some applicants on the basis of additional criteria. This could be wage-linked selection, which would favour highly-skilled professionals. However, the DHS has not provided details on the revamping of the programme. At present, 85,000 new H-1B visas are issued annually, including the 20,000 which are set aside for applicants who have a Master's degree or higher from an educational institution in the US, Business Today reported. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allocates visas through a random lottery system, which means that the applicants are on the same scale, despite their skills or compensation. Largely a majority of the beneficiaries of non-immigrant H1-B visa programme are Indians. 77 per cent of the approved visas from the 320,000 alloted ones belonged to Indians, India Today reported. In 2023 too, Indians made up for more than 70 per cent of the approved visas.

Laid-off H-1B grad counts the days on borrowed time. Here's more to his ordeals
Laid-off H-1B grad counts the days on borrowed time. Here's more to his ordeals

Hindustan Times

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Hindustan Times

Laid-off H-1B grad counts the days on borrowed time. Here's more to his ordeals

One recent graduate, after securing his first job on an H-1B visa, was laid off just a few weeks into the role. Now, nearly nine months later, he's still unemployed and clinging to hope on a temporary visa. After being laid off from his first job on an H1B visa, a 2024 graduate has struggled to find work for nine months.(X/@USAndIndia) The 2024 data science graduate told M9News that he's applied to over 300 positions since the layoff, but not a single job offer has come through. ALSO READ| India techie's F-1 visa 'Refused' for a this very reason, Redditor weighs in Laid-off graduate now battles immigration clock 'Every day feels like a countdown,' he said. 'I'm doing everything I can, but I'm running low on time, money, and hope.' Notably, after completing his Master's degree from a U.S. university and gaining internship experience, he landed a dream job. But only 30 days in, he was let go. 'I never thought my first job would only last 30 days. I feel stuck in limbo. There's no closure,' he admitted. 'I'm just surviving on borrowed time,' he sighed. Following the layoff, he used the standard 60-day grace period to try to find another job. When that window expired, and he had no offer of another one, he switched to the B2 visa, a temporary tourist visa, in an extreme measure to remain in the country legally and keep his job search. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has yet to review his application. 'Layoffs don't just end jobs—they uproot lives,' an immigration attorney told M9 News. 'And the current system provides no safety net.' ALSO READ| One family emergency away from losing your H-1B Visa? Indian techie's hidden fear US Visa ordeal stories like his aren't rare anymore Over the past year, waves of H1B layoffs have pushed thousands into a similar race against time. Many have already packed up and left. Like, one shared on Reddit, 'I was laid off in October 2024 (when my STEM OPT expired) and been jobless since.' 'I'm currently on an F1 visa doing my second Master's mainly to maintain my status (day 1 CPT). I'm 31 years old with quite a bit of my student loan left plus credit card debt that I am using to survive and continue studying after being laid off.'

Millions of travelers to the U.S. could be charged a new $250 "visa integrity fee"
Millions of travelers to the U.S. could be charged a new $250 "visa integrity fee"

CBS News

time5 days ago

  • Business
  • CBS News

Millions of travelers to the U.S. could be charged a new $250 "visa integrity fee"

Many travelers to the U.S. are now subject to a new $250 "visa integrity fee," part of the tax cuts and spending law signed by President Trump on July 4. The fee is effective in the current federal fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1, 2024, and ends on Sept. 30, 2025, according to the text of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. For subsequent years, the amount will be adjusted for inflation, the law states. The fee applies to visitors who come to the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas, such as foreign students attending American universities or workers who receive temporary work visas such as the H-1B, which is often used by tech companies to hire foreign engineers or other skilled workers. In 2023, the U.S. issued more than 10 million nonimmigrant visas, according to data from the U.S. State Department. Visa holders subjected to the fee may later be reimbursed as long as they comply with their visa's restrictions, such as leaving the U.S. within five days of the visa's expiration, according to the new law. However, the law doesn't specify how visa holders may apply for reimbursement of the fee, nor how the fee will be collected. "The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation," a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told CBS MoneyWatch in an email. "President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies and resources to restore integrity in our nation's immigration system," it added. Given that fee isn't yet set up to be collected, it's unclear whether the visa integrity fee will be retroactive. The Department of Homeland Security didn't immediately respond to a question about whether the fee would be collected retroactively. The new fee will add to the hurdles facing immigrants, according to the American Immigration Council, a nonpartisan think tank focused on immigration issues. It noted the new bill also includes additional new charges, including a new $100 fee for people applying for asylum. "These fees, many of which are authorized to be layered on top of existing fees, are largely mandatory, effectively putting legal pathways out of reach for thousands of people," the group said in a July 14 statement. For instance, student visa applicants already must pay an $185 application fee and a $350 fee for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The additional $250 fee will bring their total cost to $785. People seeking asylum in the U.S., who previously could apply for that designation for free, could face total filing fees of more than $1,150 under the new law, according to the American Immigration Council. Many tourists to the U.S. don't require visas due to the Visa Waiver Program, which allows residents of more than 40 nations — ranging from Australia to the U.K. — to enter the U.S. for fewer than 90 days without a visa.

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