Train them, then go home: Scott Bessent explains Trump’s new H-1B visa policy

This comes after Trump defended skilled immigrant workers during an interview with Fox News, where he said that America needs to bring in more skilled people from across the world. During the same interview, the US president said that Americans do not have “certain talents” and added that “people have to learn”.

Trump’s comments were being viewed as a softening of his administration’s hardline approach to immigration in the US. However, Bessent has now clarified America’s position.

In an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Bessent said the US president’s new stance on H-1B visas has more to do with “knowledge transfer”, suggesting that they want skilled foreign workers to come in, train Americans and then return to their home countries rather than directly replacing residents who lack the required skills.