The debate surrounding the H-1B visa policy has taken a new turn with the appointment of Chennai-born Sriram Krishnan as senior White House policy adviser on artificial intelligence (AI) under the incoming Donald Trump administration. The move sparked backlash from far-right activists, who accused Trump of contradicting his “America First” agenda, claiming that H-1B visa holders were taking jobs from Americans.

However, Trump defended the H-1B visa program, stating his support for immigration visas for highly skilled workers. In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump emphasized, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favour of the visas. That’s why we have them.” He also shared, “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” aligning himself with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk on the issue.

The H-1B program allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that require specialized knowledge. The tech industry has long advocated for an increase in H-1B visas to attract skilled workers to the US.

Elon Musk, a vocal supporter of H-1B visas, entered the debate on X (formerly Twitter), arguing that foreign workers were essential to companies like SpaceX and Tesla. “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H-1B,” Musk wrote last week.

His comments stirred controversy, especially among MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters. Musk later clarified that he was referring to “hateful, unrepentant racists” who he views as a threat to the future of the Republican Party, rather than his broader criticism of the party.

The H-1B visa debate intensified when Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and political figure, criticized American culture for promoting mediocrity instead of prioritizing academic excellence and merit-based success. “Trump’s election hopefully marks the beginning of a new golden era in America, but only if our culture fully wakes up,” Ramaswamy said, calling for a shift towards achievement over normalcy.

However, Musk moderated his stance by suggesting reforms to the current H-1B system. “Easily fixed by raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H-1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically,” Musk posted, acknowledging that the program is “broken” and needs reform.

In response to the growing controversy and backlash against H-1B visa holders, the Indian government has expressed concern. Indian officials are closely monitoring the situation, particularly with regard to the potential impact on Indian professionals working legally in the US. A government source told The Times of India, “We shouldn’t have a situation where there is an unpleasant issue created for our Indian workers who are (working) there legally. That is something that the government is constantly concerned about.”

The Indian Ministry of IT is reportedly engaging with large software companies and industry associations such as Nasscom to assess the situation and gather feedback on the evolving debate surrounding H-1B visas.