US President Donald Trump has opted to overhaul the H-1B visa program and push towards merit-based immigration. In a statement, the White House said shortly after Trump made an announcement that H-1B and other visas would be indefinitely suspended by the end of the year. The Trump Administration will overhaul the immigration system in order to give priority to the most qualified immigrants and protect US jobs.

Under these reforms, the H-1B program will prioritize those workers who are offered the highest wage, ensuring that the highest-skilled applicants are admitted, the White House said.

The Trump Administration will also close loopholes that have allowed employers in the US to replace American workers with low-cost foreign labor. Such measures help protect the wages of American workers and ensure that foreign workers entering the country are highly trained and do not disrupt the US labor market.

The suspension will not affect visas for those in the United States already. There is also no impact on the optional practical training (OPT) which is mandatory for most international students upon graduation in the USA.

But L1 (intranational transfers) and J1 visas are also suspended, although exemptions will be granted for people with a pandemic of coronavirus.

In a press briefing, a senior administration official said to journalists that steps decreed by President Trump’s executive order will be temporary (until December 31) and free US employees up 525,000 jobs.

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