President Donald Trump’s tweet about a potential path to citizenship for H1B visa workers in the United States is just like a bolt out of the blue. This morning, he made a tweet about the upcoming changes to the immigration policy and US work visa programs which, he believes, would bring ‘simplicity and certainty’ to the system regarding the future stay of H1B visa holders in the US. He assured H1B visa workers of a ‘potential path to citizenship’ in his oxymoronic tweet which also harped on the same string, “We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the US.”
President Trump’s promise of a ‘potential path to citizenship’ to H1B visa workers is like swimming against the tide, in the context of his “Buy America, Hire America” mission.
H1-B 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. We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the U.S.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2019
The lack of specifics on the upcoming changes to the H1B visa program and the potential path to citizenship which temporarily soothe hundreds of thousands of minds worried about their career and future in the US, intensifies the web of doubts and uncertainties further. When the ‘potential path to citizenship’ will come to exist is not hinted at in the tweet.
There has been a raging storm in Trump’s teacup over H1B, H4, visa overstay, green card and Mexico border wall since he ascended the presidential throne. Later in 2018, the White House announced that foreign nationals with advanced degrees from recognized US institutions would be given preference over non-US educated foreigners for H1B visa on the American soil. In this context, the validity of Trump’s tweet assuring a ‘potential path to citizenship’ and ‘certainty to your stay’ (H1B visa workers) is questionable.
President Trump’s tweet seems a long stride towards infinity ignoring the long-standing issues such as green card backlog. Will the ‘potential path to citizenship’ for H1B visa holders be a shortcut to the green card logjam? Or, will it have nothing to do with green cards or legal permanent residency in the US? Let’s keep on wondering until the clouds burst to make way for some sunshine on President Trump’s tweet.
