High-skilled immigrants can get lost in a maze of difficulties when they attempt to find work in the US, often ending up in lower-skilled positions, lower salary brackets, and stunting their career ambitions. President Donald Trump has long advocated for a more merit-based approach to the immigration system in the US, like those already in place in Australia and Canada.
Immigrants with advanced skill sets and educational qualifications could find it easier to enter the US under such a system. Trump has praised it for sticking to the simple idea that immigrants entering a new country should be capable of financially supporting themselves. But many immigrants already in the US complain that their expertise ends up going to waste due to long recertification processes, the unfamiliarity with overseas credentials on the part of employers, and language barriers.
High-skilled immigrants often end up in positions such as babysitters, valets, and janitors, just to make ends meet. The non-partisan research organization, the Migration Policy Institute, has described this situation as a ‘brain waste’, with almost two million college-educated refugees and immigrants currently living in the US forced to work in low-skilled jobs despite years of education and work experience.
On 3 March, Trump posted on social media Twitter to again reiterate his interest in an immigration system based on merit, but no policy statements have yet been made by his administration about what form such a system could take.