Trump backs Musk on H-1B visas; what they are and why they matter in New

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doubling down on their support for an immigration program that brings skilled workers to the U.S.

Musk has long championed the H-1B visa and this weekend Trump said he’s “always been in favor of the visas.”

Here’s what the visas are and what they mean for New Jersey?

What is the H-1B visa?

Simply, H-1B visas allow U.S. companies to hire foreign workers for specialized roles in fields like tech, engineering, and healthcare as a way to fill jobs that require highly specific expertise.

Each year, there’s a cap on new visas — 85,000 in total, with 20,000 reserved for workers with advanced U.S. degrees, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Companies and entire industries see the visa program as critical to success and growth when U.S. workers don’t have the skills or education to meet demand. Critics, however, argue that the program is sometimes misused to replace domestic workers with cheaper foreign labor, leading to concerns about wage suppression and job loss in certain sectors.

Does New Jersey have H-1B visas?

New Jersey is one of the biggest players in the H-1B landscape.

In 2023, nearly 30,000 H1-B petitions were filed in the state, according to MyVisaJobs.com, which compiles federal data.

Major companies like Cognizant and Ernst Young are the primary employers for H-1B visa holders, with average salaries topping $120,000.

With bustling tech and pharmaceutical industries, New Jersey ranks fifth nationally for the number of H-1B petitions filed, trailing only California, Texas, New York, and Washington, based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor and MyVisaJobs.com.

California led the nation in 2023 with over 102,000 petitions. Texas followed with approximately 78,000 petitions, both driven by massive demand in the tech and energy sectors.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: H-1B visas matter in New Jersey; here’s why and what they are

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