Ajay Jain Bhutoria, former Biden White House advisor and national advocate for H-1B and green card backlog resolution, has issued a measured response to President Donald Trump’s recent defense of the H-1B visa program, calling it a “classic U-turn” while reassuring anxious immigrant communities that no substantive policy shift is underway.
“Trump says H-1B visa holders are essential because there aren’t enough talented Americans,” Bhutoria posted on X, quoting the president’s exchange with Fox News host Laura Ingraham. Trump argued that complex industries—like battery manufacturing and missile production—cannot rely on untrained domestic workers pulled “off the unemployment line.” Bhutoria highlighted Trump’s example of a Hyundai plant in Georgia, where South Korean specialists were brought in to train local staff during early production stages.
Bhutoria, who successfully recommended the Biden-era 540-day automatic EAD extension for H-1B spouses, H1B domestic stamping renewal, pointed to recent turbulence: “Trump admin and Howard Lutnick created so much panic for the last few weeks around H1B policy changes and 100k fees changes.” He was referring to Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s September proposal of a $100,000 one-time fee for new H-1B petitions and the abrupt end to the 540-day EAD renewal on October 30. Both moves are now tied up in federal court, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and tech coalitions challenging their legality.
“In essence, no strong change from a policy perspective is being implemented around H1 and his 100k fees,” Bhutoria said. “I urge our communities not to panic. Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
He underscored the global context: Canada has allocated C$1.7 billion in its 2025 budget to fast-track H-1B holders and recruit 1,000 top AI, biotech, and clean energy researchers. China launched its “K-visa” last week—a direct H-1B alternative—offering streamlined entry for foreign tech talent. “Canada is trying to woo H1B workers… China is trying to woo USA talent,” Bhutoria warned.
A longtime reformer, Bhutoria supports robust safeguards: “I fully support higher wages for H-1B, strict scrutiny of candidates, English proficiency, and severe punishment for companies and staffing agencies committing fraud.” He believes tech giants—Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, Nvidia, and Meta—have quietly pressed the administration to preserve the program. “When Trump asks them to invest in USA, they’ve made clear: they need the H-1B pipeline to stay open.”
Bhutoria’s message to the 1.2 million Indian H-1B holders and their families: stay focused, stay strong. “America’s edge has always been its ability to attract the world’s best minds. That hasn’t changed—and it won’t.”
