US H-1B visa, green card system set for major shakeup

The H-1B visa, much loved by Indian techies, and the US green card are set for a major shakeup.

- SURBHI GLORIA SINGH

United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday confirmed that the administration is preparing to alter key parts of the immigration system.

"The current H-1B visa system is a scam that lets foreign workers fill American job opportunities," Lutnick posted on X, adding, "Now is the time to hire American." Speaking to Fox News hours earlier, he said he was directly involved in the redesign of the visa programme.

Lutnick also said changes were on the way for the green card system. "We give green cards. The average American makes $75,000 a year, and the average green card recipient $66,000. So we're taking the bottom quartile. Why are we doing that?" he asked. He added that a new 'gold card' would be created. "That's the gold card that's coming. And that's we're gonna start picking the best people to come into this country. It's time for that to change," said Lutnick.