Trump administration redefines H-1B policy: foreign workers to ‘train Americans then go home’

In a considerable climbdown following United States President Donald Trump's realisation that his country does not have enough natives to fill job vacancies, Washington has announced a significant shift in its H-1B visa programme, with the aim of bringing in skilled foreign workers temporarily to train American workers and then return to their home countries. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the new approach is central to President Donald Trump’s broader push to rebuild the country’s industrial and high-tech workforce.

Bessent told Fox News that the vision is not long-term dependency on foreign talent but knowledge transfer into the US labour market: “The President’s vision here is to bring in overseas workers who have the skills for three, five, seven years to train US workers. Then they can go home, and the US workers fully take over.”

He said the US has offshored precision manufacturing jobs for decades, and now these need to be brought back. Without a significant infusion of expertise, Bessent argued, the country cannot simply reassign workers from unemployment lines into highly specialised fields like shipbuilding, semiconductor manufacturing or defence production.

Policy details, domestic response

Under the revised strategy, foreign professionals entering under the H-1B visa may be subject to tighter time limits and explicit expectations of training American employees. Officials say the programme will continue but be reoriented towards temporary deployment rather than long-term settlement.

Bessent’s remarks come after President Trump defended the H-1B scheme in an interview, asserting that America still lacks “certain talents” and must bring in foreign experts to fill complex roles. He added: “You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘We’re going to make missiles’.”

At the same time, the US Department of Homeland Security reaffirmed that the country will continue to use visa programmes like the H-1B and green-card routes, while insisting on stricter screening and oversight of applicants.

The policy received immediate attention within the Indian IT sector, where large numbers of professionals utilise the H-1B route. Share prices of major Indian-origin tech firms saw a surge following the announcements, as analysts parsed how the new rules might reshape talent flows.

Implications for foreign talent, US workforce

For Indian tech professionals, the redefined policy signals both opportunity and uncertainty. On the one hand, the need for skilled talent remains affirmed. On the other, the emphasis on temporary tenure and training responsibilities raises questions about visa duration, long-term job prospects and pathway to permanent residency.

For the US workforce, the intent is clear: foreign workers are no longer merely filling skill gaps but are expected to transfer those skills to Americans. The administration believes this will rebuild domestic capacity in strategic industries and reduce reliance on offshore expertise.

Educational institutions, training providers and employers may all need to adjust. The emphasis on “training, then go home” may prompt companies to design mentorship and transition frameworks, while visa beneficiaries may face time-bound assignments with defined deliverables.

Outlook, challenges, remaining questions

Although the strategy outlines a new direction, many questions remain. How exactly the visa durations will be set, what enforcement mechanisms will ensure a return of foreign workers, and how this will interact with existing green-card and residency routes are yet to be fully clarified.

Critics argue the policy walks a fine line between safeguarding American jobs and discouraging global talent. The term “temporary expert” raises concerns over career continuity and fairness for foreign professionals. Meanwhile, the broader tech ecosystem must reconcile the dual goals of attracting talent and preventing job displacement.

As the implementation unfolds, companies and visa applicants will keep a close watch on guidelines from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Labour. For now, the message is clear: foreign workers are invited, but their role is explicitly transitional.