A new category of skilled immigration may be emerging: the “train and return” visa. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined this policy as the real meaning behind Donald Trump’s recent comments about needing foreign “talent.” While Trump sounded soft on H-1B, Bessent’s clarification is anything but.
The policy is not about permanent settlement or long-term employment. It’s about “knowledge transfer.” Bessent summarized the principle as “Come to US, train American workers, go home.” This is a temporary, transactional approach to skilled immigration.
Bessent suggested these skilled trainers would stay for “three, five, seven years,” a fixed term dedicated to upskilling the domestic labor force. After this, “they can go home,” and the “US workers will fully take over” the newly learned roles.
This is all being driven by a skills gap. “An American can’t have that job, not yet,” Bessent stated, pointing to a lack of expertise in high-tech manufacturing like semiconductors and shipbuilding.
This “home run” strategy, as Bessent termed it, uses “overseas partners” as a bridge. They “teach American workers” the necessary skills and then “return home,” ensuring the American workforce is the ultimate beneficiary.