The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
The technology companies depend on H-1B to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
Trump had made the alleged abuse and fraud in H-1B visa system a major election issue during his election campaign.
But the book 'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House' written by journalist Michael Wolff says after a meeting with a delegation of Silicon Valley leaders at the Trump Towers on December 14, 2016; Trump, then as president- elect, said that the tech industry needed help on the issue of H-1B.
"Take this H-1B visa issue. They really need these H-1B visas," Trump was quoted as telling media mogul Rupert Murdoch over phone after the meeting.
The White House in general has disputed the content of the book and described it as fiction.
"Oh, great, just great," said Trump.
"These guys really need my help. Obama was not very favourable to them, too much regulation. This is really an opportunity for me to help them."
"Donald," said Murdoch, "for eight years these guys had Obama in their pocket. They practically ran the administration. They dont need your help."
"Murdoch suggested that taking a liberal approach to H-1B visas, which open America's doors to select immigrants, might be hard to square with his promises to build a wall and close the borders," Wolff writes.
The sympathetic view of Trump towards H-1B visa appears contrary to his public views on this popular work visa.
According to a latest report, the US is considering new regulations to prevent the extension of H-1B visas as part of Trump's "Buy American, Hire American" initiative, a move which could hit tech firms and hundreds of thousands of Indian IT professionals.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
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