• Source:JND
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US President Donald Trump is proposing a targeted use of H-1B visas to import skilled foreign labor on a "short-term" basis, aiming to upskill American workers rather than create ongoing reliance on overseas talent, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview.

The comments follow Trump's recent acknowledgment that the US must attract international expertise in key areas to boost domestic capabilities.

Speaking on Fox News with host Brian Kilmeade, Bessent framed the policy as a strategic "knowledge transfer" initiative designed to resurrect America's manufacturing base, eroded by years of offshoring.

"We've spent 20 to 30 years offshoring precision manufacturing jobs," Bessent explained. "You can't just wave a magic wand and expect ships or advanced facilities to appear overnight. Our goal is to repatriate the semiconductor industry, with major plants already planned for Arizona.

"Under Trump's vision, as outlined by Bessent, foreign specialists would enter the US for limited periods, three to seven years, to mentor and train local workers in high-tech fields. Once the transfer is complete, these experts would return home, paving the way for Americans to fill the roles independently.

Bessent dismissed fears that such a program would sideline US job seekers, arguing that the expertise gap is too wide for immediate domestic takeover. "No American can step into those positions right now," he stated bluntly. "We haven't produced ships or semiconductors domestically in decades. Having overseas partners come in to teach our workforce? That's a grand slam for the economy."

Trump's soft turn on visa policy

Trump defended the H-1B visa programme, saying America has to bring in talent from around the world. “I agree but you also do have to bring in talent,” Trump had said in an interview to Laura Ingraham on Fox News. Trump was responding to a question on whether the H-1B visa issue will not be a big priority for his administration, and if one wants to raise wages for American workers, the country cannot be flooded with hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.

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When Ingraham noted that "we have plenty of talent”, Trump said, “No, you don't, no you don't. You don't have certain talents. And people have to learn. You can't take people off an unemployment line, and say, ‘I'm going to put you into a factory, we're going to make missiles',” Trump had said.

Trump visa crackdown

The Trump administration has launched a massive crackdown to check abuse in the H-1B visa programme, which is used by companies, particularly technology companies, to employ foreign workers in the US. Indian professionals, including technology workers and physicians, are among the largest cohort of H-1B visa holders.

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In September this year, Trump issued a Proclamation titled ‘Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers' as an important initial step to reform the H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme.

Under the Proclamation, certain H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025, must be accompanied by an additional USD 100,000 payment as a condition of eligibility.

(With inputs from agency)

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