U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he is planning changes to the H-1B programme that grants temporarily visas to highly educated immigrants who work in specialty occupations such as technology or medicine
“H1-B (sic) holders in the United States can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter. “We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the U.S.”
It was unclear what Mr. Trump meant by a “potential path to citizenship” for H-1B visa holders, who already are eligible to be sponsored by their employers for legal permanent residency, which would make them eligible to become U.S. citizens.
The White House did not immediately comment on whether Mr. Trump was considering changes beyond those proposed in new rules issued in December by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
When asked about Mr. Trumps tweet, USCIS spokesman Michael Bars pointed to the earlier proposed changes. The proposal is designed to increase the number of H-1B beneficiaries by 16%, or 5,340 more workers, who hold advanced degrees from American universities.