Won't allow H-1B visa workers to replace Americans: Donald Trump

Any regulatory change in regard to H-1B visa will negatively impact Indian IT companies the most.

Donald Trump, Berlin attacks, Russian envoy, Turkey — Donald Trump had also proposed of a registry for all the Muslims coming from war-ravaged countries in the US.Reuters

Raking up the H-1B visa issue again, president-elect of US Donald Trump said he would not allow American workers to be replaced by foreigners by using the H-1B visas.

According to a report in Press Trust of India (PTI), in an apparent reference to cases like that of Disney World where Americans were replaced with foreign workers including Indians, Trump also said the practice of training foreign workers by Americans for receiving their severance packages must stop.

"We will fight to protect every last American life," the report quoted Trump as saying to his supporters in Iowa. "During the campaign I also spent time with American workers who were laid off and forced to train. The foreign workers brought in to replace them. We won't let this happen anymore," the President-elect said.

According to the report, Trump expressed his displeasure over compelling American workers to train foreigners for receiving their severance packages. "Can you believe that? You get laid off and then they won't give you your severance pay unless you train the people that are replacing you. I mean, that's actually demeaning maybe more than anything else," he said.

Notably, Disney World and two other outsourcing firms are facing federal lawsuits on the issue of displacing American workers with cheaper foreign labour brought to the US on H-1B visas, mostly from India.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa of the US, which allows employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations. Currently, the cap on H-1B visas stands at 65,000 out of which 25,000-35,000 are issued to Indian nationals.

Any tightening of H1B visa norm will negatively impact Indian information technology companies, which send Indian IT professionals abroad for servicing a client.

Meanwhile, Trump reiterated his stand on building a wall along the Mexico border for checking illegal immigration. "We will put an end to illegal immigration and stop the drugs from pouring into our country, the drugs are pouring into our country, poisoning our youth and plenty of other people," he said.