MEMA Expresses Concern to Trump Administration Over New Visa Rules

MEMA has sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf to express concerns on three recent rules, two interim final and one proposed, regarding U.S. visa and wage policies.

The interim final rule from DHS impacts the H1B visa program, the interim final rule from DOL impacts prevailing wage determinations, and the proposed rule from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) limits the ability of foreign students to come to the U.S. 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.”

“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.