By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration on Tuesday released a proposal that would rework the H-1B visa selection process to favor higher-skilled and better-paid workers, according to a related Federal Register notice, a move that follows a White House proclamation on Friday introducing a $100,000 fee for the visas.
The new process, if finalized, would give heavier weight to applications by employers who pay high wages if annual requests for the visas exceed the statutory limit
of 85,000, the notice said. The move aims to better protect Americans from unfair wage competition from foreign workers, it said.
President Donald Trump launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after taking office in January, including a push for mass deportations and trying to block citizenship for children of immigrants in the U.S. illegally. In recent days, his administration intensified its focus on the H-1B program, popular with tech and outsourcing companies for hiring skilled foreign workers.
The Trump administration said on Friday it would ask companies to pay $100,000 per year for H-1B visas. Some big tech companies warned visa holders to stay in the U.S. or quickly return, sparking a chaotic scramble to get back to the U.S. The White House later clarified that the fee would apply only to new visas.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
