‘Competent People….. at All Levels’: Trump Assures His Support for H-1B

Amid the uncertainty over the H-1B working visa program, US President Donald Trump has extended his support for it. Trump stated on Tuesday, “I like both sides of the argument, but I also like very competent people coming into our country, even if that involves them training and helping other people who may not have the qualifications they do. But I don't want to stop – and I'm not just talking about engineers, I'm talking about people at all levels.”

During a joint conference at the White House, which was attended by Oracle CTO Larry Ellison, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, he made these remarks. He further added, “We want competent people coming into our country. And H-1B, I know the program very well. I use the program. Maitre d', wine experts, even waiters – high-quality waiters – you've got to get the best people. People like Larry, he needs engineers; Masa also needs... they need engineers like nobody's ever needed them.”

His close allies, like Elon Musk , the CEO of Tesla , advocate for H-1B visas, citing the influx of skilled tech professionals, while many of his supporters are against it, believing these visas lead to job losses for Americans. During his previous tenure, Trump favored Americans over foreigners. Since his return to office, there has been speculation about stricter policy rules for US Dreamers, especially Indians.

Indians Lead in H-1B Visa

Indians are the largest group to receive H-1B visas, which allow skilled workers to come to the U.S. for jobs in fields like technology and engineering. Every year, the U.S. government issues 65,000 H-1B visas, plus an additional 20,000 for those who have earned advanced degrees from U.S. universities. These visas bring top talent from around the world, and a significant portion of them go to professionals from India.

(With inputs from PTI)