On May 3rd, the US Immigration Bureau announced that it had completed the data entry of all selected H- 1B applications in fiscal year 20 18. Some international students are happy and some are sad, and more international students are concerned about the future of H- 1B reform.
On April 18, President Trump signed the executive order "Buy American goods and hire American goods". Among them, what attracts the most attention of immigrants and international students is the aspect of "employing Americans", specifically the reform of H-1B.
In this executive order, Trump asked for the reform plan of the H- 1B work visa program as soon as possible to ensure that H- 1B was awarded to the beneficiaries with the highest skills and the highest salary. This reform is related to the "American dream" of hundreds of thousands of international students, to the talent structure of Silicon Valley, the capital of science and technology, and even to the future of American science and technology industry, so the direction and content of its reform are of great significance.
H- 1B work visa is specially issued to foreign professional and technical personnel engaged in "professional posts". Once you get this visa, you can legally stay and work in the United States for up to three years at a time, which can be extended to six years. Therefore, H- 1B has become the main way for international students to work and stay in the United States, and it is also the main channel for them to realize the "American dream". First Lady Melanie Trump entered the United States as a model on an H- 1B visa.
It is a basic fact that the H- 1B visa has made great contributions to American high technology. American technology giants, such as Google, Microsoft and Apple, employ thousands of H- 1B employees. Not only large companies, but also many startups in Silicon Valley will employ some H- 1B employees.
The original intention of the American H- 1B visa is to allow American employers to hire foreign professionals and technicians when they can't find American employees. However, like any other policy, with the passage of time, H- 1B will bring disadvantages.
First of all, wages are lower and technicians are cheaper. Trump once said that it is neither high-tech talents nor immigrants who participate in the H- 1B program, but temporary workers from abroad, with the aim of replacing Americans with low wages. According to the White House data, at present, more than 80% of workers with H- 1B visas earn less than the median wage of workers in the same position in the United States. According to the American Consumer News and Business Channel, according to a latest research report, it is estimated that the use of H- 1B visa has reduced the salary of the entire technology industry by 5. 1% at the highest.
Secondly, fraud is serious and cheating is rampant. Due to the interest relationship, there are many cases of derailment. The common cheating means is that some applicants repeatedly submit multiple H- 1B applications, and some professional organizations "package" a large number of forged resumes and fabricated positions.
At present, the transformation of H- 1B is still in its infancy. However, according to Trump's statement and various proposals currently proposed, there are the following paths:
Establish a system for high-paying people first: because H- 1B uses lottery, the winners are more luck than level. In Trump's executive order, he instructed relevant agencies to make suggestions to help ensure that such visas are issued to the most skilled and highest-paid immigrant employees.
Second, set a higher salary threshold: For example, Rep. Zoe lof gren) 10/0 from California put forward a motion in the House of Representatives on October 24th, proposing to increase the salary of H- 1B visa holders from the original $60,000 to $6,543,803.
Third, strengthen supervision and spot checks: Trump's executive order calls for cracking down on fraud and abuse in the current work visa system. The relevant agencies have signaled that they will follow the instructions.
The most important change is that if enterprises want to hire foreigners, they must provide stronger evidence and explanations. The employer must explain in the application documents: why should the foreigner be invited to work, and why can't our citizens.
On the whole, Trump's H- 1B reform should have more advantages than disadvantages. If it can be realized, it will change the talent structure of American high-tech industry. The advantage is that people with high academic qualifications, graduated from prestigious schools and strong abilities will have more opportunities. Low academic qualifications, non-prestigious schools, and weak ability will reduce the chances.
It's not bad news for international students in China. Most students in China have graduated from master's degree or above. Even those who are currently studying undergraduate courses have a high probability of studying graduate students in the future. Therefore, if the number of places remains unchanged, the probability of obtaining H- 1B will increase. Therefore, we are optimistic about the success of H- 1B reform, but the most important point is to promote the advantages and eliminate the disadvantages and reform the current unreasonable factors. For real talents, we should open our doors and give full play to their talents. The number of places should not be reduced, but should be increased, because it is beneficial to American science and technology and American economy.