As the date of US President Donald Trump's inauguration is approaching, fear and uncertainty have spread among students and skilled workers in the US. More than 1.1 million international students are currently studying in the US under the academic session 2023/024. Likewise, the US allows 85,000 people to immigrate every year through the H-1B visa.

During his campaign, Trump promised to implement tougher immigration policies upon entering the House. He says that student visas of people from Muslim countries and anti-American and anti-Semitic fanatics will be revoked .

International students usually have a nonimmigrant visa. While such a visa will allow them to study in the US, it does not provide a legal means to stay in the country. 

As Trump's inauguration approaches, some universities and colleges have advised international students who left the US for winter break to return early. New York University (NYU) has the largest number of international students. According to CNN, NYU has more than 27 thousand students in the last academic session.

New York's Cornell University has advised students who have left the US to return or consult with their travel plans before January 21. The university warned students last month that 'travel bans are likely to be implemented once Trump takes office'. 

It is said that citizens of Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen and Somalia are likely to be subject to the sanctions of the Trump administration. According to the American media, China and India will also be added to the list after seeing the latest developments.

The University of Southern California, which enrolled 17,000 international students last academic year, has issued an email notification to students to return to the US a week before Trump returns to the White House. Maybe,' said the university . 

Although it is not certain that such orders will be issued, the university's 'Office of International Services' says that entering the US within the new semester on January 13, 2025 is the safest way to avoid challenges.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said it 'asks students not to make decisions based on social media and news reports or rumors predicting new policies/regulations'. The new president will take office on January 20 and the executive orders he will issue affecting travel and visa procedures will only take effect after  MIT said . 

During the election campaign, Trump also said that green cards should be automatically given to foreign citizens who graduate from American colleges. But the spokesperson of his campaign said that only the best will be given such a facility . Communists, radical Islamists, Hamas supporters, America haters and those who are publicly accused will not be given that facility, according to the Trump campaign spokesperson.

Trump has not publicly said anything about this since last year. This means that it is not yet clear how the Trump administration will proceed with this issue. The day after the US presidential election, the Immigration Law and Policy Center of the University of California stated that it will not provide the immigration status of students or related confidential information without a judicial warrant, court order and legal provisions.

In October 2023, with the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war, protests in support of Palestine began in American universities and colleges. In response, Trump said he would cancel student visas and deport foreigners and students who are anti-American and anti-Semitic.

Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been entrusted with the Department of Government Efficiency by Trump, have started a debate on social media in favor of expanding the visa program for skilled workers. Musk and Ramaswamy pointed out that most of the information technology companies in the United States depend on foreign workers for employment. Companies that employ skilled workers through the 'H-1B' visa provided are seen in favor. 

Trump banned the 'H-1B' visa during his first term. But during the 2024 election campaign, Trump signaled openness to granting legal status to some foreign-born workers if they graduated from an American university. Musk said on Wednesday that American technology companies need to double the number of engineers. He likened the benefits of this program to the Pesaver sports team recruiting the best talent from around the world. 

'If you want to see your team win championships, you need to recruit top talent wherever you are . It enables the whole team to win,' Musk wrote on social network X . Ramaswamy, a first-generation American citizen, also agreed with Musk.

Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley disagreed with Musk and Ramaswamy's comments. He says that the next administration should give priority to American workers over foreign workers. Some Democrats also support Musk and Ramaswamy's statement. "They got it partially right," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said at an event. Praising immigrant entrepreneurs, he said other sectors of the American economy, such as agriculture and manufacturing, also have skilled immigrants. There are millions of Americans who work for companies founded by immigrants. "If we had not given permission to those immigrants, such work would not have happened today," Polis said.

Trump has been opposing such visas before. Every year, the US allows 65,000 skilled workers to immigrate to the US under the H-1B visa program. In addition to that, visas have been provided to 20,000 workers who have received 'advanced degrees' in the US.

Economists argue that the H-1B program allows American companies to remain competitive, grow their businesses and create more jobs in America. The H-1B program is mostly related to the technology sector. Companies in this sector have a high demand for specialized workers . Musk, who came to America as a foreign student, later worked on an H-1B visa.

During the 2016 presidential election campaign, Trump protested that the H-1B visa was misused.   Trump said that the companies misused the H-1B program to enter America. In 2020, Trump was very strict on the H-1B visa. But in recent days, CNN has reported that he is more tolerant towards highly skilled foreign workers.