Trump Suspends Visas Allowing Foreigners to Work in the US

On Monday, President Donald Trump temporarily suspended new work visas and barred hundreds of thousands of foreigners from seeking employment in the United States, part of a wide-ranging effort to restrict the entry of immigrants into the country.

In a sweeping order, which will be in place at least until the end of the year, Trump blocked visas for a wide variety of jobs, including computer programmers and other skilled workers entering the country under the H-1B visa, as well as seasonal workers in the hospitality industry, work-study students in summer programs and au pairs arriving under other auspices.

The order also restricts the ability of American companies with global operations and international companies with U.S. branches to transfer foreign executives and other employees to the United States for months or years. And it blocks the spouses of foreigners who are employed by companies in the United States.

Officials said that the ban on workers' visas, combined with the extension of restrictions on the issue of new green cards, would keep as many as 525,000 foreign workers out of the country for the rest of the year.

Business leaders fear that the Directive will hinder their attempts to recruit desperately needed employees for positions that Americans are unable to perform or unable to do.

“This is a full-frontal attack on American innovation and our nation’s ability to benefit from attracting talent from around the world,” said Todd Schulte, the president of FWD.us, a pro-immigration group supported by technology companies.

Administration officials said that the President's order would not affect people outside the United States who already have valid visas or seasonal farmworkers. There would also be a small exemption for that medical personnel working directly with coronavirus science, officials said.

“These immigration bans are more red meat and not jobs for the base,” said Rebecca Shi from the American Business Immigration Coalition in Chicago. “They don’t even serve Trump’s own business interests.”

Trump has used H-2B visas to hire seasonal staff for his resorts to work as cooks and waiters.

Source: The New York Times