H-1B debate is a vote on America's future

The H-1B visa programme has been instrumental in driving the growth of America's tech industry over the past four decades.

- Frank F Islam

The H-1B visa programme has been instrumental in driving the growth of America's tech industry over the past four decades. Through the years, millions of tech workers have come to the United States (US), contributed to the industry's growth and benefited themselves. Among those who leveraged an H-1B visa as a pathway to success in the US are Elon Musk, the world's richest man, and Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, the CEOs of Microsoft and Alphabet (the holding company for Google), respectively.

Since Donald Trump's victory in the November presidential elections, an intense debate has emerged over the future of the H-1B programme. The debate was triggered by social media postings in late December by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were named by Trump as co-heads of the department of government efficiency advisory commission. In response to some criticism of the H-1B programme, they asserted that the programme is essential for maintaining America's global competitiveness and technological leadership.

These postings sparked strong opposition from Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) coalition which propelled him to victories in two presidential elections. This group staunchly advocated for stricter immigration controls, arguing that the programme displaces American workers and suppresses wages. They claim that corporations exploit H-1B visas to import cheaper foreign labour rather than invest in domestic talent.