After tariff blow, Trump plans big H-1B visa changes: 'Time to hire American'
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called the current system a 'scam,' saying new rules will prioritise American workers
Amid its tariff fiasco, which has left the international fraternity on tenterhooks, the Donald Trump administration has hinted at a plan that could massively change the US’s H-1B visa and green card programme, affecting international workers.
American Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday, August 26, called the US’s current H1B visa system “terrible” and a “scam” that allows foreign workers to grab job opportunities in the US. The Republican leader added that the priority of the US businesses should be to hire the country’s own workforce.
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'H1B visa system a scam'
“The current H1B visa system is a scam that lets foreign workers fill American job opportunities. Hiring American workers should be the priority of all great American businesses. Now is the time to hire American,” Lutnick said in a post on X that also featured his exclusive interview given to Fox News.
The current H1B visa system is a scam that lets foreign workers fill American job opportunities.
— Howard Lutnick (@howardlutnick) August 26, 2025
Hiring American workers should be the priority of all great American businesses. Now is the time to hire American. pic.twitter.com/l27HEhF7C3
In the interview, the commerce secretary revealed he is part of the upcoming alterations in the H1B and green-card programme. He pointed to the issue of pay inequality among the average Americans and holders of the green card to justify the need for such a change.
“I am involved in changing the H1B programme because that is terrible. We are going to change the green card. The average American makes $75,000 a year, and the average green card recipient $66,000. So, we are taking the bottom quartile. Why are we doing that? That’s why Donald Trump is going to change it. That's the gold card that’s coming. We are going to start picking the best people to come into the country,” he told the US news channel.
Trump's gold card idea
The Trump administration has been floating the idea of a “gold card” to replace the visa programme for foreign investors. It could be bought for $5 million as a route to American citizenship. Trump himself told the media that he would get rid of the EB-5 immigrant visa programme, which enables foreign investors with large money to create or preserve American jobs to become permanent residents, with the gold card.
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While people wondered about further details, Trump posted on Truth Social on June 12, saying the “WAITING LIST IS NOW OPEN”.
Lutnick’s words on changes in the H1B visa programme could impact both Indian workers and students living in America, since they have been a major part of the H1B allocation programmes over the years.
The White House under Trump’s second stint began tightening rules for foreign workers and students from the beginning.
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A few months ago, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman, which had assisted several immigrants in dealing with visa-related technicalities, was shut down. Immigration lawyers said the decision would impact holders of H-1B visas, international students on F-1 visas, and applicants of green card, thus affecting many members of the Indian diaspora.