The government tried to appease these worries at the weekend. The $ 100,000 are a one -time and no annual fee, explained the spokeswoman for the White House, Karoline Leavitt on Saturday. It does not apply to foreign citizens who already have a skill visa and not to extend visas.
On the other hand, US Minister of Trade Howard Lutnick spoke of an annual fee when the new H-1b Visa regulation was announced. The fee is to be paid by employers. The new regulation also triggered concern in India, where around three quarters of the recipients of H-1b-Visa come from.
Large technology companies in the USA are heavily dependent on specialized workers from the country. The H-1b Visa are awarded to computer scientists, engineers and scientists. They have a term of three years, but can be extended to six years.
On Saturday, Leavitt also assured that Hot 1b-Visa owners who are currently abroad will not be levied $ 100,000 for returning. You could “leave the country to the same extent and enter how you would normally do”.
The newspaper “San Francisco Chronicle” reported that some foreign specialists who were already on board airplanes to travel abroad hastily had left their machines again – for fear that they would not be left back to the United States.
The US tech industry is highly dependent on foreign specialists. Tech entrepreneur-including the Elon Musk, who was previously allied with Trump, but now disputed with him-had previously warned to target H-1b-Visa holder.
The H-1b visa are awarded using a lottery process. Last year, the US authorities approved around 400,000 visas of this type, in about two thirds of which were visa extensions. So far, the fees have been comparatively low and were between several hundred and several thousand dollars. Their height was dependent on the size of the respective company.
On Friday, Trump described the decree signed by the new visa rules as a measure to protect local workers. The H-1B program was exploited to replace US workers “with low-paid, less qualified forces,” the regulation said.
At the appearance with Trump in the White House, Lutnick said that he was “on board” in the new regulation for the H-1b visa, so he was involved and agreed. Nevertheless, the decree triggered great confusion and unrest. The Bank JP Morgan announced that she had sent a memo to her employees with H-1b-Visa, in which they advised them to forego abroad for the time being.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of “humanitarian consequences” of the US new regulation for those affected and their families. It emphasized that the mobility of specialists had contributed to the “innovation” and “creation of prosperity” in both countries.
Trump also signed a decree on Friday to create his “Gold Card” stay. It is said to cost one million dollars for individuals and two million dollars if a company finances such a visa. The “Gold Card” program is aimed at wealthy foreigners, Trump had already announced it in February.
Dja/ha
