US Strengthens Wage and Degree Requirements for 'Professional Visa'... "One-Third of Applications Expected to Be Rejected"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Donald Trump administration in the United States announced on the 6th (local time) that it will strengthen salary standards and degree requirements for issuing professional employment visas (H-1B), according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

According to the report, under the new regulations, the percentile criteria for the wage level currently eligible for H-1B issuance will be further tightened. Regarding degrees, previously, applicants could apply for an H-1B visa with a college degree or equivalent experience, but going forward, applicants must hold a degree relevant to their field of work.

The WSJ reported that this could make it difficult for IT companies, which need to hire experts in fields such as biology, computer science, and mathematics, to secure specialists. However, an exception was made for fashion models, who do not require a college degree under this regulation. The WSJ also noted that Melania Trump, wife of President Trump, received an H-1B visa when she came to the U.S. in 1996.

The policy to strengthen H-1B visas had already been announced since 2017, and the Trump administration had been strictly managing H-1B visa issuance even before this regulatory change. In fact, the rejection rate for H-1B visa issuance last year was 15.1%, more than double the 6.1% in 2016. The annual number of H-1B visas issued is around 85,000.

Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, explained that domestic workers performing similar jobs are harmed by foreign workers who receive lower wages than them, and that this is a measure to protect American workers. He further predicted that about one-third of H-1B visa applications would be rejected under the new standards.

This move by the U.S. government will increase the cost of hiring highly skilled professionals for companies, drawing criticism from the IT industry and others. Not only will wages rise, but the application conditions will become more stringent, and the required documentation is expected to increase.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.