“Come, train, go home” is the new mantra for the H-1B visa program, as detailed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. This clarification comes after Donald Trump’s comments about needing foreign “talent” were misconstrued as a pivot to a more lenient immigration policy.
Bessent explained that the “talent” is needed for “knowledge transfer,” not to take jobs. The “president’s vision” is to “bring in overseas workers… for three, five, seven years to train the US workers.” This is a short-term, specific mission.
Once that mission is accomplished, their time is up. “Then they can go home,” Bessent stated, “and the US workers will fully take over.” This ensures the program benefits American workers directly.
This program is a response to a skills gap. “An American can’t have that job, not yet,” Bessent said, citing a lack of domestic expertise in building ships and semiconductors.
This “home run” strategy of “overseas partners coming in, teaching American workers, then returning home” is designed to rebuild America’s industrial might by upskilling its own workforce.
25