Vivek Ramaswamy : Pledges to End H-1B Visa Program

Vivek Ramaswamy : Ahead of the US presidential election, Indian American entrepreneur and Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has pledged to end the H-1B visa program if elected to power, according to a report by US-based POLITICO. Ramaswamy, who has surged in GOP primary polls, is gaining significant attention for his controversial stance on immigration.

Ramaswamy’s fiery rhetoric doesn’t mince words. He calls the H-1B visa program “indentured servitude” and insists on replacing the existing “lottery system” with what he terms as “actual meritocratic admission.”

Vivek Ramaswamy & His Contributions

Vivek Ramaswamy argues that the United States needs to shift away from chain-based migration, asserting, “The people who come as family members are not the meritocratic immigrants who make skills-based contributions to this country.”

The H-1B visa program is a non-immigrant visa widely coveted, especially in India, allowing US companies to employ foreign workers for occupations demanding technical expertise.

Demand for these visas has surged over time, with US businesses submitting a staggering 780,884 applications for just 85,000 available slots in the fiscal year 2021, representing a surge of over 60 percent, as reported by POLITICO.

Interestingly, this issue was thrust into the spotlight during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States earlier this year.

Following discussions between PM Modi and President Biden, US authorities announced ‘in-country’ renewable H-1B visas to streamline the renewal process for several Indians. “It has now been decided that the H-1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself,” PM Modi announced during his address to the Indian diaspora.

It is essential to note that Vivek Ramaswamy himself has used the H-1B system in the past to hire high-skilled foreign workers for the pharmaceutical company that played a significant role in building his wealth, as per POLITICO.

From 2018 through 2023, US Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 29 applications for Ramaswamy’s former company, Roivant Sciences, to employ foreign workers under H-1B visas, which enable US companies to fill tech and other specialized positions with foreign talent.

Ramaswamy’s stance on H-1B visas draws parallels with former President Donald Trump’s campaign, whom Vivek Ramaswamy has lauded as the “best President of the 21st century.”

Trump initially adopted a hardline stance on these foreign workers during his campaign, temporarily suspending new work visas and blocking hundreds of thousands of foreign workers from US employment as part of his broad effort to limit immigration into the United States, as per POLITICO.

However, much like Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump also employed numerous foreign workers under H-1B visas for his businesses. While Ramaswamy’s campaign has garnered attention and propelled him up in GOP primary polls, he still lags significantly behind former President Donald Trump, who leads with a commanding 56 percent, as reported by The Hill.

In another poll conducted by RealClearPolitics, Trump maintains a substantial lead in the 2024 GOP race, with 53.6 percent support, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 13.5 percent, and Ramaswamy at 7.3 percent, as per the New York Post.

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