A visa war is unfolding in the United States of America. It has pitted Donald Trump supporters against each other. Elon Musk up against hardcore Make America Great Again (MAGA).
What Is H-1B Visa
The H-1B is a type of visa in the United States under the immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H), that allows United States organizations to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. It is the largest visa category in the United States in terms of guest worker numbers. The duration of stay is three years, extendable to six years, after which the visa holder can reapply. It is given to highly skilled professionals like Engineers, and IT professionals
Confusion In Trump’s Camp
The far right supporters who endorse Donald Trump do not like it. Because they believe it will take away American jobs. However Tech Gurus love it. They say it will bring talented migrants into America. For the past few days, these two factions have be clashing. Now Donald Trump has waded in the debate. He said “I have many H-1B visas on my properties I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program”.
Elon Musk, a Tech Guru has also shared his admiration for this visa category. It makes it difficult or almost impossible for anyone to oppose the views of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Musk himself went to the U.S with this type of visa. His company Tesla obtained 700 of this visa type in 2024 alone.
Big name in Tech like Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella have all used this visa.
Quota Of H-1B Visa
Like any other visa category, the H-1B visa also has its quota. Only 85,000 are issued every year. Mostly given to those in the tech fields. The statistics show that Indians dominate this category. Last 2023 financial year 72.3% of this visa type issued to foreign workers were Indians. The Chinese made 10.8%.
Benefits To Tech Companies
Data shows that H-1B migrants are paid less than their American counterparts doing same job, same skills. Around 60 % of them are paid way less than the average. So it is cheap labor for U.S firms. Secondly, migrant workers are less likely to complain about conditions of work and working environment than Americans. So their first instinct is to keep their head down and keep working, which is what the Tech gurus want.
Brain Drain On Economies
Since 2015 more than 1.3 million Indians have left their country on H-1B visas, a lot of them, highly skilled. Had they stayed, the country would have added $15-20 billion more annually. That is the cost of brain drain. Now imagine this across the different sectors of the economy. It is a big blow to India’s growth.
Unfortunately for India and other developing countries is that Talent will always chase money, and right now that money is in the United States, the solution may be to develop India’s own tech landscape that will rival or mirror America.
Otherwise the people will not stay
Source: First Post
