US News: The White House has issued a memorandum asking federal agencies to pause the regulatory process for 60 days (through March 21), to enable the Biden ad
If this rule gets implemented, then H-1B employees will be paid higher wages than their US counterparts. Representational image
New Delhi: As Joe Biden is set to sworn in as the next U.S. President on January 20, the Trump administration is using the last few days in power to fulfil its ‘protectionist’ agenda. Late Tuesday, the department of labour announced introduction of final wages rules, which hiked the prevailing wages across all four skill levels for those working in U.S. on H-1B visas or holding employment-based green cards, the
Times of India mentioned in a report.
A statement by DOL states, On October 8, 2020, the department published an interim final rule, and invited public comment. After an extensive review of the comments received, the department has determined that the existing wage methodology undermines the wages and job opportunities of US workers, and that it is in tension with the governing statute. The US DOL is taking these steps to strengthen wage protections, address abuses in visa programs, and protect American workers from being undercut by cheaper foreign labor, said Eugene Scalia, secretary of labour. These changes help ensure that these important foreign worker programs function as Congress intended, while securing American workers’ opportunities for stable, good-paying jobs. In response to the comments we received, the department has adjusted the wages levels used in the interim final rule to better reflect market wages and included provisions to smooth the transition to the new wage levels added Scalia.
MUMBAI: A bunch of US universities and non-profits have emerged victorious in a lawsuit filed by them against an interim final rule issued by the Department of Labour (DOL), which came into effect from October 8. This rule, which was put on a fast-track mode and introduced almost overnight, effectively hiked wages for H-1B workers, across all levels, upwards of 40%.
As reported by TOI earlier, 17 plaintiffs which included Purdue University, University of Michigan, University of Denver, Chapman University, Bard College, Arizona State University, Indiana University, and a few non-profits had filed this lawsuit with the US district court of Columbia. They were represented pro-bono by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and prominent immigration attorneys.
Trump admin’s fall agenda: Revisits plans to hike H-1B wages and tighten eligibility norms
Top Searches
This story is from December 12, 2020
Trump admin’s fall agenda: Revisits plans to hike H-1B wages and tighten eligibility norms
Lubna Kably / TNN / Updated: Dec 12, 2020, 15:48 IST
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEMail
MUMBAI: With just six weeks left for US President-Elect Joe Biden to step into the White House, the Trump administration continues to move ahead with its immigration plans – which if implemented, would make it challenging to hire H-1B workers owing to significant hikes in wages and narrower eligibility norms.
Despite court judgements setting aside rules covering these issues, which were earlier introduced via a fast-track mode, the Trump administration proposes to follow up and re-introduce them.