U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance late last week making it more difficult for companies to use the H-1B visa program to hire foreign workers to fill “computer related positions.”
“The fact that a person may be employed as a computer programmer and may use information technology skills and knowledge to help an enterprise achieve its goals in the course of his or her job is not sufficient to establish the position as a specialty occupation,” the memo, dated Friday, read.
The memo cited varying educational requirements for different positions in the overall “computer programming occupation” and mandated that applicants “must provide other evidence to establish that the particular position is one in a specialty occupation.”
Former Democratic congressman and immigration lobbyist Bruce Morrison downplayed the memo’s importance, calling it a “routine” statement of policy.
“I think the fact that it was put out when it was put out, it may be part of a PR campaign to make people think that something is being done to change the H-1B situation,” Morrison told TPM. “Which is not the case.”
USCIS released a statement Monday announcing that it will make “targeted site visits” and an email tipline to “further deter and detect H-1B visa fraud and abuse.”
During the 2016 primary, Trump railed against “rampant, widespread H-1B abuse.”
“I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program,” he said in a statement in March 2016. “No exceptions.”
Read the memo:
This post has been updated.
Well…he’s pissed off the 1% and Wall Street types that think these visas are the best thing since sliced bread…I wonder how he’ll try to squirm out of this one…didn’t he just hold some bogus technology summit with the heads of the big IT companies? Oh well…I guess I’ll be ‘in demand’ for the next 4 years while Rome burns…
H-1B visas for other staffing needs, such as waiters, maids and groundskeepers at Grift-a-Lotto, will continue apace to ensure that critical infrastructure are not adversely impacted.
Agricultural workers at sites of great cultural interest, such as Trump Winery in Virginia, will likewise see no effect on its function or output.
Don’t forget Eastern European trophy wives! Gotta keep that specialty occupation filled.
Great news for coal miners. They can take courses at Trump University then get those those high paying jobs.
It’s ok, it’s ok.
I’m fairly certain Trump University is cranking out computer programmers with the same level of excellence as Liberty University attorneys.