The U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, has announced that there will be a significant overhaul coming to the H-1B visa program and green card issuance system in the United States. Lutnick criticized the current H-1B visa program as being detrimental, blaming it for squeezing out job opportunities for American workers.
In an interview on Monday night with Fox News channel’s “The Ingraham Angle” program, Lutnick stated, “The current H-1B visa system is a scam that allows foreign workers to occupy American job opportunities. Hiring American workers should be a top priority for all outstanding American companies.”
Lutnick confirmed his direct involvement in the proposed reforms, planning to replace the existing lottery-based H-1B allocation system with a more selective, wage-based model. He informed Fox News host Laura Ingraham, “We are going to change this program because it is bad. We will reform the green card system.”
Lutnick also criticized the current green card system from the perspective of wage levels. He said, “We issue green cards – Americans earn an average of $75,000 per year, while green card holders only earn an average of $66,000 per year. Why are we doing this? It seems like picking talent from the lower tier.”
He emphasized that under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. immigration policy will shift towards attracting wealth and skills. “That’s why Trump wants to change it – that’s where the ‘Gold Card’ comes from. We will start using the Gold Card to select the best people.”
Trump himself has described the Gold Card as an “upgraded version of the green card,” and Lutnick has previously linked the Gold Card to visas for large-scale investors.
Lutnick stated that the demand from foreign citizens for the Gold Card has been exceptionally high, with 250,000 potential applicants waiting in line. Under the plan, the U.S. will grant green cards to foreigners investing over $5 million. If the program can be realized, it may bring in investments of up to $1.25 trillion to the U.S.
“That’s the upcoming Gold Card. We will use this as a starting point to select the best talents to enter the U.S. It’s time to make a change,” Lutnick said.
H-1B is a visa sponsored by employers and aimed at professional workers, managed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Department of Homeland Security. The visa has an annual quota set by Congress – a regular quota of 65,000 slots, in addition to 20,000 slots for U.S. advanced degree holders, typically allocated through a lottery system.