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Indian-origin venture capitalist says H-1B visas should be reserved for ‘top talent’, warns against ‘mediocre’ hires
Asha Jadeja Motwani discussed H-1B visas, arguing that only “top talent” should be allowed entry to the US.
An Indian-origin Silicon Valley venture capitalist has warned against “mediocre” H-1B hires. In an X post, which quickly went viral, Asha Jadeja Motwani backed the United States' strict policies for recruiting elite engineers.
Indian-origin venture capitalist warns against ‘mediocre’ H-1B hires, says visa program should be reserved for ‘top talent’
“Mediocre engineering talent coming to the US on H1B visas is a bad idea. These positions must go to native-born Americans,” Motwani wrote. She stressed that H-1B visas must be reserved for “top talent,” adding that it is high time to rethink who gets the opportunity to enter the country through the prized route.
Motwani argued that flooding the country with average foreign workers only undermines the H-1B visa program. She lauded US lawmakers' selective approach to global hires, saying, “America is doing the right thing by identifying and attracting top talent from around the world.”
“This is giving American technology companies a strategic edge over foreign companies, especially those in China,” Motwani went on, adding, “All in all H1B visas must be reduced in number so that we reserve those visas for absolutely top talent.”
The post, which has amassed over 11,000 views on the platform, drew mixed reactions, with many criticising her opinion. Netizens slammed Motwani, arguing that narratives like hers fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. However, this is not the first time that she has openly shared her views regarding the H-1B visa program.
Motwani, who is a donor to the Republican Party, claimed earlier this month that she spoke to Donald Trump and JD Vance about the importance of Indian recruits. In a lengthy X post, she said she would “like to believe” that the president's change of heart on H-1B visas has “something to do with me speaking nonstop in Washington DC about the value of bringing in top talent from India into the United States.”
“I have spoken to both JD Vance and President Trump about the fact that people like #RajeevMotwani and i would not have come easily into the US if the current H1B drama had been playing out in the 1980s,” she went on, adding that the Trump administration is “refreshingly open to good ideas coming from either side of the aisle. They welcome out of the box thinking.”
