US action on high-skill visas could hit Irish graduates

US president Donald Trump’s latest executive order, clamping down on the abuse of highly-skilled worker visas, could impact Irish graduates in the future.

US action on high-skill visas could hit Irish graduates

US president Donald Trump’s latest executive order, clamping down on the abuse of highly-skilled worker visas, could impact Irish graduates in the future, writes Pádraig Hoare.

Mr Trump announced the executive order based on his ‘Buy American, Hire American’ campaign promise while in Wisconsin, promising to get tough on companies abusing H1-B visas.

The visa is supposed to attract highly skilled foreign workers for highly paid roles that no American can perform. However, it has come under increasing scrutiny as unscrupulous companies use it to hire less-skilled workers at much lower pay, especially from India.

The H1-B visa is granted when an applicant secures work and is sponsored by a company for a period of three years, with the option of an extension. Irish workers have availed of the visa since its inception in 1990.

Irish companies with a large presence in the US include Kerry Group, which employs 5,000 national and foreign nationals in 40 US locations.

A Kerry spokesperson said: “To date, we have had no issue in placing Irish graduates within our US operations and we have been assured by the US administration that our investment in the US food industry is appreciated. We have a good relationship with the consular office at the US Embassy in Dublin and will continue to liaise through them in relation to any issue which may arise.”

However, it could mean increased difficulty for Irish university and institute of technology graduates to now secure employment in the US after graduation, said Irish business and education leaders.

Cork Institute of Technology’s academic administration and student affairs manager, Dr Dan Collins, called for Government and State bodies such as the IDA and Ornua to engage with their US counterparts to bring clarity for Irish workers.

“The opportunities for Irish graduates in the USA cannot be understated,” said Mr Collins. “It benefits both countries and has led to the development of many captains of industry in Ireland.

“Irish graduates are highly skilled so we would hope they can continue to gain valuable employment in the US.”

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner.

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