'Train Americans, then go home': Scott Bessent explains Trump's new H-1B policy

US President Donald Trump's new H-1B visa policy is to temporarily bring in skilled foreign workers to the United States to train Americans for high-skilled jobs, not replace them, thereby reducing long-term dependency on overseas labour, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

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The remarks came after Trump, contrary to his earlier immigration reforms, said America needs to bring in foreign talent for certain fields.

Trump's new H-1B strategy

Speaking to Fox News, Bessent described Trump's new approach to H-1B visas as a "knowledge transfer" effort intended to restore America's manufacturing. He noted the new approach is intended to rebuild the US manufacturing sector after decades of outsourcing.

"For 20-30 years, we have not offshored precision manufacturing jobs... We can't snap our fingers and say you are going to have ships overnight. We want to bring the semiconductor industry back to the US. There will be big facilities in Arizona," he said.

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"So, I think the President's vision here is to bring in overseas workers who have the skills for three, five, or seven years to train the US workers. Then they can go home, and US workers will take over."

'Train US workers, then go home'

Addressing concerns that foreign workers could displace Americans, Bessent pushed back and said, "An American can't have that job – not yet."

"Train the US workers. Then go home. Then the US workers fully take over," Bessent said, summing up the administration’s vision for the new visa system.

"We haven't built ships or semiconductors here for years. Overseas partners coming in, teaching American workers – that's a home run," he said.

Trump administration's new approach to the H-1B visa programme, Bessent explained, reflects the President's broader push to repatriate critical industries and reduce reliance on imports.

$2,000 tariff rebate

Bessent's remarks come as Trump’s own remarks on foreign labour have divided parts of his (Make America Great Again) MAGA base.

In a separate Fox interview, Trump said the US “doesn’t have certain talents,” arguing that foreign experts are needed to train Americans in technical fields. “You can’t take people off the unemployment line and say, ‘We’re going to make missiles,’” Trump said.

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Bessent also touched on the administration’s economic agenda, confirming discussions on a possible USD 2,000 tariff rebate for families earning under USD 100,000. “The president’s talking about a $2,000 rebate,” he said. “It’s part of ensuring families feel the benefits of strong trade policy,” he added.

Calling 2026 a potential blockbuster year for the US economy, Bessent said the Trump administration's vision is that of Parallel Prosperity, where Wall Street and Main Street grow together, which depends on keeping the Treasury market deep, liquid, and stable.