Why are US Republicans debating the future of H-1B high-skilled worker visas? | Business and Economic Affairs

The debate over how stricter immigration policies will take on high-skilled work visas has become the first major policy debate among the top supporters of United States President-elect Donald Trump – just weeks before the Republican presidential candidate's new term.

On the other side are members of Trump's organization called “Make America Great Again”, or MAGA, who have called for a freeze on H-1B visas for high-skilled workers as part of the president-elect's broader promise to strengthen immigration. .

Trump's campaign promises are largely focused on the US-Mexico border, although he has passed other restrictions.

In the other camp are prominent Trump supporters – including tech billionaire Elon Musk – who have defended the visas as vital to the growth of US industry and the economy.

Here's what you need to know.

How did this start?

The latest debate erupted when Laura Loomer, a right-winger who has had close ties to Trump in the past, took to social media to criticize the president's choice of artificial intelligence adviser, who said the US needs foreign countries. skilled workers to remain competitive in the technology industry.

Criticism of Loomer, who has been accused of racism and misogyny in the past, was quickly picked up by several high-profile figures in the tech industry.

That includes SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk, Trump's pick to head a government efficiency advisory board.

In response, Loomer accused tech billionaires of influencing Trump for their own benefits.

“We have to protect President Trump from the experts,” Loomer said in a post on X on December 25.

Who accepts H-1B visas?

H-1B visas are generally reserved for specialized foreign workers with a bachelor's degree or higher assigned to temporary employment that pays industry-level wages in the US.

US authorities can issue 65,000 new H-1B visas per year, with an additional 20,000 for people with master's degrees.

Visas can also be extended when they expire, and more than 309,000 have been authorized to continue working in fiscal year 2022, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

About 70 percent of H-1B visa recipients are from India and another 10 percent are from China.

What are Musk and other H-1B defenders saying?

Musk said “the number of highly skilled AND highly motivated engineers in the USA is very low” and described the H-1B program as important “for those who want America to win”.

In a series of posts on X, which he also owns, Musk also promised to “go to war on this issue”.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the former president's appointee to work alongside Musk on the government's executive board, has criticized the system as “horribly broken”, but is not in favor of getting rid of them entirely, instead saying visas should be given out accordingly.

Ramaswamy has drawn criticism from a hard-line anti-immigration group of Trump supporters after he wrote on social media on Thursday that tech companies hire immigrants because “American culture has valued gentleness as virtue for too long”.

“A culture that honors the prom queen over the math olympiad champion, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” he wrote.

What about Trump?

Trump addressed the issue for the first time on Saturday.

He told the New York Post: “I have a lot of H-1B visas in my properties. I have always believed in H-1B.”

“I've used it many times,” he said, referring to his real estate businesses. “It's a great program.”

However, these speeches were at the forefront of the president-elect.

In the past, he has criticized visas as “extremely bad” and “unfair” for US workers and his administration has sought to raise barriers to applicants in his first term.

Why is this important?

The back-and-forth underscores the growing fault line between many of Trump's early supporters and those like Musk who only embraced him in the 2024 election campaign. Many of the latter – like Musk – are associated with the technology industry, and are less inclined to promote nativist propaganda.

The dispute could inform the next four years of Trump's presidency, with Musk already warning of a “MAGA civil war” over the issue.

A number of Trump's most prominent first-term supporters weighed in, with strategist Steve Bannon criticizing the “Big Tech oligarchs” who support the visas.