In an Oct. 20 letter, the Motor and Equipment Manufacturer’s Association told the Trump administration that it has concerns over new Visa rules.
The letter, sent to Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, expressed concerns over three recent rules regarding U.S. Visa and wage policies.
MEMA said it was first concerned with the interim final rule from DHS that would reform the H-1B visa program. That rule would narrow the definition of “specialty occupation”; require companies to make “real” offers to “real employees” in America first; and enhance DHS’s ability to enforce compliance through worksite inspections and “monitor compliance before, during and after an H-1B petition is approved.”
Additionally, MEMA said it was concerned with the interim final rule from DOL that impacts how the prevailing wage is determined and requires companies using the H-1B program to pay foreign workers the same wage they would pay American workers. Additionally, the organization said it was concerned with a proposed rule from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement that would limit international students’ ability to come to the United States on student visas.
“Individually each of these rules undermine the competitive position of the United States by making it more difficult for skilled workers to come to the United States to provide specialized training or research on H1B visas; or deterring the ability of talented foreign students to come to the U.S. on F, J and I visas,” said MEMA President and CEO Bill Long in the letter. “Together, these three rules reinforce the perception around the globe that America is not a good place for new investment, adding three potentially significant blows to our global economic leadership. These rules are already limiting the ability of our members to move forward on complicated technology development and deployment in the United States.”
MEMA’s letter comes as several business organizations, including the National Association of Manufacturer (NAM), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others, including academic institutions, have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the rules impacting DHS and DOL rule changes regarding H-1B visas.
“The policy impacts of these rules as drafted are problematic to the growth of manufacturing here in the U.S. We at MEMA are ready to engage in a dialogue with the administration about what works, what does not, and what improvements could be made to our visa programs. We look forward to working with you to address these pressing issues,” Long concluded.