America has been granting special visas allowing highly qualified foreigners into the country for many years. Now the government is making this difficult – a bad idea.
The American government has been granting H-1B visas for many years. They allow highly qualified foreigners into the country to do jobs for which there are no suitable Americans. They are used primarily by technology firms like Amazon, Microsoft, Google and IBM. These work permits were already subject to criticism before Donald Trump became president and made "America First" his governing philosophy. There was some justification for this, as instances of companies who seemed to use this visa to replace American workers with cheaper foreign ones came to light.
But the bottom line is that America benefits from the H-1B visa. It doesn't just help companies find competent people for complex jobs; the holders of this visa often establish themselves in America and some start their own companies, contributing to the country's economic well-being. Despite this, Trump is now making it difficult to get such visas and is also making it less attractive − for instance, with plans to abolish work permits for spouses. America is cutting off its nose to spite its face.
Damit schadet Trump Amerika
Amerika vergibt seit vielen Jahren spezielle Visa, um hochqualifizierte Ausländer ins Land zu lassen. Die Regierung erschwert das nun – keine gute Idee.
Die amerikanische Regierung vergibt seit vielen Jahren sogenannte „H-1B“-Visa. Mit ihnen sollen hochqualifizierte Ausländer ins Land gebracht werden, um Positionen zu besetzen, für die es keine geeigneten Amerikaner gibt. Vor allem Technologieunternehmen wie Amazon, Microsoft, Google oder IBM nehmen diese Visa in Anspruch.
An diesen Arbeitsgenehmigungen hat es schon Kritik gegeben, bevor Donald Trump Präsident wurde und „America First“ zu seiner Regierungsphilosophie erklärt hat. Teilweise war das auch berechtigt, denn es wurden Beispiele von Unternehmen bekannt, die diese Visa zu nutzen schienen, um amerikanische Mitarbeiter durch billigere ausländische Kräfte zu ersetzen.
Aber unter dem Strich profitiert Amerika von diesen H-1B-Visa. Nicht nur helfen sie Unternehmen, fähiges Personal für komplexe Aufgaben zu finden. Die Inhaber der Visa etablieren sich auch oft in Amerika und gründen in manchen Fällen ihre eigenen Unternehmen, womit sie zum wirtschaftlichen Wohl des Landes beitragen.
Trotzdem erschwert es Trump jetzt, an solche Visa heranzukommen, und macht sie auch unattraktiver, etwa mit Plänen für eine Abschaffung von Arbeitsgenehmigungen für die Ehepartner der Visa-Inhaber. Amerika schneidet sich damit ins eigene Fleisch.
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Secretary Rubio’s ‘diplomatic masterstroke’ in Delhi unintentionally transformed political damage control into an involuntary roast of his own boss.
The Beijing summit did not produce a major agreement between the great powers on the region, but it firmly established that Middle Eastern crises are now deeply tied to the great-power dialogue.
During the Cold War, the United States occupied the apex of this triangular dynamic, pitting China and the USSR against each other. Today, it is Beijing that occupies that apex.
A summit that would normally send a reassuring message ... faces total uncertainty thanks to the weakness of the United States. The only person to blame for this is Trump.
The Beijing summit did not produce a major agreement between the great powers on the region, but it firmly established that Middle Eastern crises are now deeply tied to the great-power dialogue.
During the Cold War, the United States occupied the apex of this triangular dynamic, pitting China and the USSR against each other. Today, it is Beijing that occupies that apex.