Latest news with #Edlow
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
U.S. immigration policy overhaul threatens opportunities for African skilled workers
Joseph Edlow, the newly appointed director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has signalled a major restructuring of the H-1B system and changes to the U.S. citizenship test, moves that many analysts believe will disproportionately affect immigrants from developing regions, including Africa. In remarks made shortly after assuming office, Edlow revealed that the current structure of the H-1B system no longer serves the needs of the American labor market and requires urgent restructuring. Edlow told The New York Times that the current U.S. citizenship test is too easy and in need of reform. ' The test as it's laid out right now isn't very difficult,' he said. 'It's easy to simply memorize the answers, and I don't think that truly reflects the spirit of the law.' He added that the H-1B visa should be used to " supplement, not supplant" American workers and businesses, a sentiment consistent with calls from conservative lawmakers. In addition to H-1B changes, Edlow announced plans to revise the U.S. naturalization test, a mandatory assessment for immigrants seeking citizenship. The current test requires applicants to study 100 civics questions and answer six correctly out of 10. Edlow indicated a return to a stricter version used during the Trump era, which expanded the question pool and raised the passing requirement to 12 out of 20. How the H-1B program supports African professionals The H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign nationals for roles in specialty occupations—positions that require specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent. It also covers fashion models of distinguished merit and ability. Designed to fill gaps in the American labor market, the program helps companies access talent they cannot find domestically. The visa programme, which issues 85,000 slots annually through a lottery system, has long served sectors such as technology and healthcare. However, critics argue the system has been abused to replace U.S. workers with lower-cost foreign labor. For many African professionals, the H-1B program serves as a critical entry point into the U.S. workforce, offering opportunities in fields like engineering, healthcare, information technology, and academia. It not only opens doors to global career advancement but also contributes to the transfer of skills and remittances that benefit families and economies back home. The proposed reforms come amid growing political pressure on immigration practices. Vice President JD Vance recently criticized corporations for laying off American workers and hiring cheaper foreign labor through the H-1B channel. These proposed reforms, however, will not take immediate effect. Any changes to visa policy or naturalization procedures must first undergo the federal rule-making process before implementation.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
'US citizenship test too easy': USCIS director says Trump administration will change this because...
USCIS director said US citizenship test is so easy that one can memorize the answers and pass. US Citizenship and Immigration Services director Joseph Edlow said the existing citizenship test to get US citizenship is too easy and apart from the sweeping immigration overhaul that is being planned by the Donald Trump administration, they want to change the test as well. In an interview with the NYT, Edlow said the test is such that one can memorize the answers easily and pass the test. According to the existing test pattern, immigrants study 100 civics questions and then respond correctly to six out of 10 questions to pass that portion of the test. In the first term of the administration, the USCIS increased the number of questions and required applicants to respond correctly to 12 out of 20 questions. Edlow said the agency plans to return to a version of what they had at that time. 'The test as it's laid out right now, it's not very difficult,' Edlow said. 'It's very easy to kind of memorize the answers. I don't think we're really comporting with the spirit of the law.' 'It should be a net positive' Edlow said granting citizenship should be a net positive. 'And if we're looking at the people that are coming over, that are especially coming over to advance certain economic agendas that we have and otherwise benefit the national interest — that's absolutely what we need to be taking care of.' 'I really do think that the way H-1B needs to be used, and this is one of my favorite phrases, is to, along with a lot of other parts of immigration, supplement, not supplant, US economy and US businesses and US workers,' Edlow said. Trump, Vance on immigration Both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance sent a strong message to the tech companies, asking them to hire Americans. At an AI summit, Trump said the globalist mindset of the tech industry leaves Americans out of jobs while these jobs to to China and India. "Many of our largest tech companies have reaped the blessings of American freedom while building their factories in China, hiring workers in India and stashing profits in Ireland, you know that. All the while dismissing and even censoring their fellow citizens right here at home. Under President Trump, those days are over," he said. "Winning the AI race will demand a new spirit of patriotism and national loyalty in Silicon Valley and long beyond Silicon Valley," Trump said. JD Vance was harsher as he said he does not believe the 'bulls**t' story that these companies can't find workers in America. "That displacement and that math worries me a bit. And what the president has said, he said very clearly: We want the very best and the brightest to make America their home. We want them to build great companies and so forth. But I don't want companies to fire 9,000 American workers and then to go and say, 'We can't find workers here in America. ' That's a bulls**t story," JD said.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Trump admin plans stricter US citizenship test, H-1B visa reforms — here's what changes
The Trump administration is preparing a fresh wave of immigration reforms, targeting the visa system for skilled foreign workers and the broader citizenship test. Calling the current evaluation to become a US citizen 'easy', Joseph Edlow, the new Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), outlined these plans in an interview with The New York Times. 'The test as it's laid out right now, it's not very difficult. It's very easy to kind of memorise the answers. I don't think we're really comporting with the spirit of the law,' Edlow said in the interview on Thursday. The proposed plan to implement the changes come amid the ongoing wider crackdown on immigration and mass deportations in Trump's second term. Visa rules have been tightened, and refugee programs have been cut, impacting both legal and illegal immigrants. The administration intends to bring back a stricter version of the test introduced during Trump's first term. Under that version, applicants must answer 12 out of 20 civics questions correctly; compared to the current 6 out of 10. Seniors aged 65 or older with 20 years as lawful permanent residents may still take a simplified version. The change aims to ensure applicants have a deeper understanding of US civics and governance, beyond memorisation. One of the administration's most significant proposals involves reshaping the H-1B visa programme for skilled foreign workers. Edlow said USCIS plans to prioritise companies that offer higher wages, potentially replacing the current lottery-based system that distributes 85,000 visas annually. This move is designed to address criticism that companies exploit the system to hire cheaper foreign labour, undercutting American workers. Vice President JD Vance echoed these concerns this week, criticising firms that lay off US employees while continuing to hire foreign workers. However, Edlow said: 'I really do think that the way H-1B needs to be used… is to, along with a lot of other parts of immigration, supplement, not supplant, US economy and US businesses and US workers.' Not all agree with the administration's direction. Doug Rand, a former Biden official, warned that prioritising high-salary jobs could undermine the H-1B programme's original purpose. 'Like it or not, the H-1B programme is the main way that US companies can hire the best and brightest international graduates of US universities,' Rand told The New York Times. 'Congress never allowed DHS to put its thumb on the scale based on salary.' Edlow, confirmed by the Senate in July 2025, is expected to play a central role in shaping immigration policy. With a background in immigration enforcement and policy, including previous stints at USCIS and the Justice Department, Edlow emphasized that immigration should be a national asset. 'I think it absolutely should be a net positive,' he said. 'And if we're looking at the people that are coming over… to advance certain economic agendas and otherwise benefit the national interest, that's absolutely what we need to be taking care of.' While detailed policy documents have not yet been released, USCIS has indicated a broader return to the rigorous approach seen during Trump's first term. That term included tightened green card eligibility rules and changes to the asylum system, many of which were later blocked by courts. (With inputs from The New York Times and official USCIS sources)
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Trump's immigration overhaul: What it means for H-1B and citizenship tests
The Trump administration is planning sweeping changes to the United States immigration system, including an overhaul of the H-1B visa programme for skilled foreign workers and a tougher citizenship test. The proposed reforms signal a renewed push to align immigration policy with the administration's economic and ideological goals. Joseph Edlow, newly confirmed director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), revealed the administration's plans in an interview with T he New York Times on Friday (local time). Edlow, who previously served in an acting capacity in 2020, now leads the agency overseeing work visas, citizenship certification, and asylum programmes. What is the H-1B visa? The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations requiring theoretical or technical expertise. These roles typically span fields such as technology, engineering and medicine. Each year, the government issues 85,000 new H-1B visas through a lottery system, including 20,000 reserved for individuals with advanced degrees from US institutions. The visa is widely used by the tech industry, which argues it is critical to filling talent gaps in a competitive global labour market. H-1B visa reform: High wages over lottery At the centre of the administration's plans is a revamp of the H-1B scheme. Edlow said the current randomised lottery process should be replaced with a system that prioritises employers offering higher wages. 'The way H-1B needs to be used… is to supplement, not supplant, the US economy and US workers,' Edlow said. He argued that prioritising higher-paid positions would help the programme better serve the national interest and reduce criticism from Republican hardliners who claim it suppresses American wages. Vice-President JD Vance added to that criticism this week, accusing firms of laying off domestic employees while hiring foreign workers. The proposed changes have drawn criticism from immigration policy experts, who argue that the H-1B programme is key to ensuring US companies can hire the best and brightest international graduates of US universities. Citizenship test: Return to tougher standards The administration is also preparing changes to the naturalisation test required of immigrants seeking US citizenship. Edlow said the current version is too easy and undermines the law's intent. 'It's very easy to kind of memorise the answers,' he said. 'I don't think we're really comporting with the spirit of the law.' Currently, applicants study 100 civics questions and must correctly answer six out of 10 during the test. Under Trump's first term, the test was toughened to include more questions and a higher passing threshold. Edlow said the administration plans to reinstate that version soon. US tightens asylum procedures USCIS under Edlow has already begun tightening asylum procedures, echoing policies from Trump's first term that had been partially blocked in court. While Edlow has ruled out reviving the controversial 'public charge' rule — which denied green cards to immigrants using public benefits — his approach has been consistent, with efforts to restrict access to permanent residency and citizenship unless it can be clearly linked to economic or national interest benefits. Edlow has also signalled that future policy decisions will focus on 'net positive' immigration. 'If we're looking at the people that are coming over… to advance certain economic agendas that we have and otherwise benefit the national interest — that's absolutely what we need to be taking care of,' he said. Donald Trump's US immigration agenda Since returning to office in January 2025, the Trump administration has moved swiftly to reshape the H-1B visa landscape. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed replacing the current lottery-based selection system with a wage-weighted model that would prioritise higher-paying job offers—a move aimed at aligning the visa programme more closely with the national economic interest. The proposal is currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget. Separately, Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation, the Colleges for the American People Act of 2025, that would eliminate long-standing exemptions allowing universities and non-profit research institutions to bypass the H-1B visa cap, meaning foreign academic staff could soon face the same restrictions as those in the private sector.
Mint
4 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Donald Trump govt mulls changes to US citizenship test, H-1B visa program: What it means?
Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services Joseph Edlow said this week that President Donald Trump's administration is considering changes to the test to become a US citizen. Earlier, it was reported that the administration was planning to change the visa system for skilled foreign workers by doing away with the H1-B visa lottery system. Joseph Edlow, the director of USCIS, told the New York Times on Thursday that the administration wanted to change the naturalisation test required by prospective US citizens. As of now, immigrants study 100 civics questions and then must respond correctly to six out of 10 questions to pass that portion of the test. During the first Trump administration, the agency increased the number of questions and required applicants to respond correctly to 12 out of 20 questions. Edlow said the agency plans to return to a version of that test soon, the NYT reported. In an interview with The New York Times, Joseph Edlow said the test to become a US citizen was too easy and should change. 'The test as it's laid out right now, it's not very difficult,' Edlow said on Thursday, adding. 'It's very easy to kind of memorise the answers. I don't think we're really comporting with the spirit of the law.' Edlow's proposed changes would have to be approved through the federal government's rule-making process. The Donald Trump administration is reportedly planning to revamp the H1-B visa lottery system, aiming to replace it with a more weighted and wage-linked selection process. The proposed changes aim to give preference to certain applicants based on additional criteria—potentially including wages—thereby benefiting highly-skilled and higher-paid professionals. Currently, the system is quite simple. Applicants who are eligible for H1-B visa submit their applications, and a computer-run lottery randomly selects the recipients. Each year, about 85,000 H-1B visas are issued, including 20,000 reserved for individuals holding a Master's degree or higher from a US university. On January 8, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule to modify its process for selecting H-1B petitions when registrations surpass the annual limit of 85,000. So, what changes does the administration propose? As per Forbes, in the final rule in 2021, DHS described the new selection process as: 'The USCIS will rank and select the petitions received on the basis of the highest Occupational Employment Statistics wage level that the proffered wage equals or exceeds for the relevant Standard Occupational Classification code in the area of intended employment, beginning with OES wage level IV and proceeding in descending order with OES wage levels III, II, and I.' A study by the Institute for Progress earlier this year found, as reported by the Hindustan Times, that if higher salaries were given priority instead of using a random lottery, the average salary of an H-1B visa holder could rise from around $106,000 to $172,000. That would likely make things much harder for outsourcing firms who rely on hiring large numbers of lower-wage workers, but could be a big plus for researchers, PhD holders, and senior-level tech professionals, the report added. Doug Rand, a former Biden administration official, said changing the H1-B process to favour higher-wage earners was misguided. 'Like it or not, the H-1B program is the main way that US companies can hire the best and brightest international graduates of US universities, and Congress never allowed DHS to put its thumb on the scale based on salary,' he said. Regarding the plan to change the H-1B visa program for foreign workers, it has been the subject of debate within the Republican Party. Edlow said it should favour companies that plan to pay foreign workers higher wages. the proposed changes to the system could alleviate criticism from those in the right wing of the Republican Party who say the program attracts workers willing to accept lower salaries than American workers. This week, US Vice President JD Vance had criticised companies that lay off their own employees and then hire foreign workers. But some of Trump's most prominent backers in the tech industry said they rely on the H-1B visa program because they can't find enough qualified American workers. Edlow was quoted by NYT as saying, 'I really do think that the way H-1B needs to be used, and this is one of my favorite phrases, is to, along with a lot of other parts of immigration, supplement, not supplant, US economy and US businesses and US workers."
