Trump Extends Freeze On H-1B, Other Work Visas: Know What It Means For Indian Professionals
US President Donald Trump has extended a pair of immigration bans that block many "green card" applicants and temporary foreign workers from entering the country by three months.
He added that the move is taken to protect American workers,?saying while therapeutics and COVID-19 vaccines are recently available, their effect on the labour market and community health has not yet been fully realised?amid the pandemic-battered economy.??
Before we understand how the extension affect Indian IT workers, let's first take a look at what the visa is about and its significance.
Why is H-1B visa important?
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
At least 20 million people remain on unemployment benefits in the United States as the novel coronavirus continues to spread nationwide.
How will it impact Indian IT professionals?
The decision will impact a large number of Indian IT professionals and several American and Indian companies who were issued?H-1B visas?by the US government for the fiscal year 2021 beginning October 1.
The professionals would now have to wait at least till the end of March before approaching the US diplomatic missions to get stamping. It would also impact a large number of Indian IT professionals who are seeking renewal of their H-1B visas.?
The US administration issues 85,000 H-1B visas each year.Indian nationals account for over 70% of all H-1B visas issued by the US.? ??
Moreover, actions such as States' continued imposition of restrictions on businesses still affect the number of workers that can be hired as compared with February of 2020, Trump said, adding that his latest proclamation may be extended if necessary.
Why was the extension issued?
The freeze on various categories of work visas was ordered by Trump through two proclamations on April 22 and June 22 last year.
Hours before the freeze was set to expire on December 31, Trump issued another extension on Thursday to extend it until March 30.
He said that the reasons for which he had issued such a restriction has not changed.
