According to the incoming head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Trump administration intends to alter the visa program for skilled foreign workers, which is at the heart of a conflict between immigration hardliners and leaders of the IT sector.
The director of U.S.C.I.S., Joseph Edlow, also stated in an interview with The New York Times that the test to become a U.S. citizen should be changed since it is too simple.
Mr. Edlow stated on Thursday that the test as it is now designed is not particularly challenging. The answers are quite simple to sort of memorize. We are not truly acting in accordance with the spirit of the legislation, in my opinion.
At a time when President Trump has ordered a huge deportation operation and a broad crackdown on immigration, Mr. Edlow shed light on how the agency at the center of the nation’s immigration system will function during his second term.
Within the Republican Party, there has been intense discussion about the H-1B visa program for foreign workers. Mr. Edlow stated that it ought to give preference to businesses who want to increase the wages of their overseas employees.
Republican right-wingers who claim the program attracts foreign workers who are prepared to accept lower wages than American workers may find their criticisms lessened by the suggested systemic adjustments. Vice President JD Vance chastised businesses this week for firing domestic workers and then hiring foreigners.
However, some of the most well-known supporters of Mr. Trump in the tech sector have stated that they depend on the program because they are unable to locate enough skilled American workers.
Mr. Edlow stated, “I firmly believe that the way H-1B should be utilized—and this is one of my favorite expressions—is to complement, not replace, the American economy, American companies, and American workers, along with many other aspects of immigration.”
Traditionally, corporations use a lottery method to hire so-called high-skilled foreign workers, and 85,000 visas are granted. The federal government’s rule-making procedure would need to approve Mr. Edlow’s suggested modifications.
Former Biden administration official Doug Rand said it was a mistake to alter the H1-B application process to favor higher-paid workers.
According to him, Congress never permitted D.H.S. to place its thumb on the salary scale since the H-1B program is the primary means by which American businesses are able to hire the most talented foreign graduates from American colleges, whether they like it or not.
Additionally, Mr. Edlow stated that the government sought to modify the naturalization exam that potential U.S. citizens must take.
Currently, in order to pass the civics section of the test, immigrants must properly answer six out of ten questions after studying 100 civics questions. The agency doubled the number of questions under the first Trump administration and made applicants answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly.
According to Mr. Edlow, the agency will soon resume using that test.
Mr. Edlow was confirmed by the Senate to oversee U.S.C.I.S. with a hand in citizenship certification and work visas, as well as the refugee and asylum bureaucracy, following a brief period in 2020 when he served as acting head of the agency.
“I believe that immigration to the United States should be a net positive,” Mr. Edlow stated. And if we look at the people who are coming over, we should be taking care of them because they are specifically coming to further our economic goals and further other national interests.
U.S.C.I.S. made it more difficult for immigrants who use public benefits to get permanent resident cards, or “green cards,” during the first Trump administration (Mr. Edlow stated he did not seek to resurrect this provision). The agency’s asylum officers fought against modifications to the asylum system that limited protections, which federal courts occasionally halted.
