Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order restricting visa like H-1B Visa, L-1 Visa and other temporary work permits. The restriction will be effective until December 31, 2020. The order is applicable only to new work visa and not the extending visa holders in the US. The restriction is set to boost employment for American citizens, as part of Trump’s ‘America first recovery’ effort.
This came after an unprecedented rise in the unemployment rate of young Americans in May; 23.2 percent for the 20-24 year age group. Trump said that from February to April, more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs. The competition for job openings gets even more challenging when non-immigrant visa applicants seek American jobs.
“The entry of additional workers through the H-1B Visa, H-2B Visa, J, and L Visa & nonimmigrant visa programs, therefore, presents a significant threat to employment opportunities for Americans affected by the extraordinary economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Trump in the order.
The order is set to free over 5 Lakh jobs in the USA. Trump has checked and covered all the lacunas in the visa granting mechanism. Trump in his lengthy proclamation has directed the Department of Homeland Security to eliminate work permits. Of those who have final orders of removal or commit crimes in the United States or are deportable. The category alone is in excess of 50,000 jobs a year that will be opened up for Americans, a senior administration official said.
The suspension of foreign work visas is a big blow to Indian IT professionals. Because many IT companies like Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) outsource Indian professionals to the US. This restriction does not seem temporary as Trump might increase the restriction next year as well, according to sources. If so, may aspiring Indians will have to give up on living the American dream of starting from basic jobs in the US to eventually earning a Green card.
“The Trump administration has also finalised regulations to eliminate the incentive to file an asylum application for the primary purpose of obtaining an employment authorisation document. With some exceptions, we should not permit large numbers of foreign workers to enter the United States at a time when so many Americans are out of work,” the White House said.