tech is the sector <\/a>most commonly associated with H-1Bs. Tech firms big and small say they need the H-1B program to hire trained talent that they can\u2019t find at home.\n <\/p>\n\n Trump has previously opposed the H-1B visa program as part of his platform to encourage US companies to prioritize American labor over hiring foreign workers. During his 2016 campaign, Trump accused US companies of using H-1B visas \u201cfor the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n In 2020, Trump restricted access to H-1B visas on several occasions, part of his administration\u2019s effort to curb legal immigration while responding to the changing economic conditions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.\n <\/p>\n
\n The so-called gold card program that Trump also unveiled is also designed to overhaul the nation\u2019s posture toward foreign workers, aiming to tip the balance of immigrants toward entrepreneurs and high earners.\n <\/p>\n
\n A brainchild of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the program will speed entry for foreigners who can afford the $1 million fee \u2014 or get their employer to pay twice as much to sponsor them. In the Oval Office on Friday, Lutnick criticized the existing green card process for immigrants seeking to live and work permanently in the US, arguing it resulted in the country taking in the \u201cbottom quartile\u201d of workers from abroad.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to only take extraordinary people at the very top,\u201d Lutnick said of the gold card program.\n <\/p>\n
\n This headline and story have been updated with additional developments. <\/em>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n