This week's Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features expert analysis of two major immigration actions recently announced by President Trump: a new $100,000 entry fee for H-1B visa-holders and the creation of a “Gold Card”.

The discussion, recorded live at a recent CIS event, features George Fishman, senior legal fellow, and Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy.

The H-1B Visa Proclamation imposes a one-time $100,000 entry fee on foreign workers applying for H-1B visas – ostensibly temporary visas originally intended for “the best and the brightest”. Jacobs examines the new policy’s goal of closing loopholes that allow employers to displace American workers and depress wages and outlines additional suggestions for closing other loopholes.

The Gold Card Program, established by executive order, offers lawful permanent residence to foreign nationals who contribute $1 million – or $2 million through an employer – to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Fishman explains that while the program was designed to expedite legal entry for investors, many approved recipients will still face long waits for green cards due to caps and per-country limits, especially for nationals of India and the People's Republic of China. The program, he notes, also raises several legal questions.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guest

George Fishman is Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Elizabeth Jacobs is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Center for Immigration Studies

Related

How The Trump Administration Can Strengthen Its New H-1B Reforms

DHS Proposes Reform to H-1B Selection Process 

President Trump Establishes Gold Immigration Card, Announces $100,000 H-1B Entry Fee

President Trump’s Gold Card

President Trump’s Gold Card Needs to Pass Through Congress’s Golden Gate . . . or Does It?

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".