GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICAN WORKERS: Trump Administration to Sharply Limit Skilled-Worker Visas; Will Require Higher Pay For High-Skilled Work Visas, and other Immigration News

Trump administration to sharply limit skilled-worker visas:

The Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to sharply limit visas for skilled workers from overseas, a move officials said was a priority amid job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor officials said new rules for what’s known as the H1-B program will restrict who can obtain a work visa and will impose additional salary requirements on companies seeking to hire foreign workers.

Acting Deputy DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said about one-third of the people who have applied for H1-B visas in recent years would be denied under the new rules, which also will include limits on the number of specialty occupations available under the program.

President Donald Trump in June issued an order temporarily suspending the H-1B program until the end of the year.

The new rules reflect a broader effort by his administration to curb both legal and illegal immigration, an issue important to Trump’s base even if it’s less prominent in his campaign this year than in 2016. —>READ MORE HERE

Trump administration requires higher pay for high-skilled work visas:

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a new rule to prevent companies from using lower-paid foreign workers to replace US citizens.

The rule set to take effect Thursday requires companies that sponsor “high-skilled” foreign workers for H-1B visas to pay them close to an average industry salary.

Entry-level H-1B workers will have to earn wages that are at least the 45th percentile of industry salaries, up from the 17th percentile, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The DHS rule will affect over one-third of the H-1B petitions,” acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said on a call with reporters. “I cannot overstate how big a deal this is.”

Companies impacted by the change will have to either pay the foreign workers more, or hire Americans instead, officials said. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to other Immigration News:

Ron DeSantis: E-Verify Critical to Ensure Americans Get Jobs in Pandemic, Not Cheap Foreign Labor

GOP Senators Ask Feds to Probe Democrat Plan that Gives American Jobs to Illegal Aliens

Court Fight Over Census Tied to Plan for Excluding Illegal Immigrants

Dissolved migrant caravan sign of tougher Guatemala stance

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