A CEO from Silicon Valley presses Donald Trump to increase H-1B visas  

Alan H Fleischmann, founder & CEO of Laurel Strategies, a global advisory and strategic communications firm, has asked Donald Trump, the US President-elect, to reform the H1-B visa scheme and increase the number of these work visas, telling him that it would lead to creation of more jobs and would give a leg up to the economy of the country. In a column published in the Fortune Magazine on 13 November, he said that the H1-B visa programme’s amendment would allow companies in the US to recruit more skilled workers and help the country in maintaining its competitive edge. Fleischmann was quoted by the Press Trust of India as adding that though the debate on the issue of immigration would be fiery, the H1-B visa programme is being strongly supported by both Republicans and Democrats. He felt that many supporters of Trump who are feeling left out of the new economy have yet to view how innovation can be a massive job creator. Adding that their wariness was understandable, the government along with Silicon Valley must put in concerted efforts to tap the potential of technology in order that many disgruntled Americans are welcomed into its fold, said Fleischmann. According to him, the H-1B visa programme of America come into being to allow the US companies to hire overseas workers to work in highly specialised fields. Unlike the other visa programmes, H-1B visas are granted to fill jobs that require special expertise were not present in enough number of Americans. H1-B visas are life savers to the talented pool of engineers across the globe, especially for technology firms, which can come out with products and foster economic development in America. Fleischmann said there was proof that under this visa programme, jobs would increase and wages would rise for Americans. Citing the US Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 report, he said that 2.62 additional jobs were created for US-born citizens by each H-1B employee. Fleischmann also quoted 2011 report from McKinsey, which showed that the number of STEM graduates available has been on the lower side when the demand for jobs in those disciplines has been increasing. Adding that Trump was not aware of the country’s technology sector, he said persuading Republicans in Congress was the need of the hour to get them to support reforms in H1-B programme. If you want to migrate to the US, approach Y-Axis to get help to file for a visa from one of its 19 offices in major Indian cities.