H-1B visa aims at specialty jobs Americans not able to fill

Governor Scott Walker, Senator Ron Johnson, and Congressman Sean Duffy joined President Trump at the event.

"We believe jobs must, should be offered to American workers first", Mr. Trump said in his speech.

"With this action we are sending a powerful signal to the world that were going to defend our workers, protect our jobs and finally put America first", he said at the Snap-On Inc headquarters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Chamber of Commerce added that it would be a "mistake to close the door on high-skilled workers" who can contribute to the growth and expansion of American businesses and make the US more competitive around the world.

"Buy American and hire American", Trump said at a rally in Des Moines.

White House said the order "calls on the executive branch to fully enforce the laws governing the entry of foreign workers into the US economy, to promote rising wages and more employment". Instead, H-1B visas would be awarded to the "most skilled or highest paid" applicants.

Trump said he hopes his new executive order puts a stop to this.

Mr Trump will direct the departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security and Labour to propose reforms to the scheme, which allows American employers to bring foreign workers to fill USA jobs. However, others say updating the definition of "skilled" labor under H-1B will ensure visas attract high-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers, Forbes reports.

The use of H-1B visas by American companies is commonplace in the technology industry.

The new order asks the four federal departments of labour, justice, homeland security and state to crack down on alleged "fraud and abuse" in the immigration system in order to protect American workers. As ordered by the Congress, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) consistently issued 65,000 H-1B visas and another 20,000 to those candidates having aces and higher degrees from a US educational organization. Texas ranks second only to California in the number of H-1B visa applications, and the employers requesting the visas mirror national trends. The halt is expected to last up to six months.

Under the current system, applications are then randomly selected in a lottery system.

Murphy ramped up his own "buy American" campaign a year ago in response to reports that Pentagon contracting personnel did not consistently comply with the Berry Amendment or the Buy American Act, two federal laws that require federal agencies to give preference in purchasing to domestic goods and raw materials.