President Trump signed an executive order on Monday, June 22 that restricts work visas through 2020. The new restrictions will prevent hundreds of thousands of foreign workers from working in the United States and will strengthen his ongoing efforts to limit legal immigration. The new visa cutbacks are an expansion of a 60-day executive order to suspend green cards that the government enacted in April in response to the coronavirus. The government says the new expanded order is a result of high U.S. unemployment due to the COVID pandemic.
The new visa restrictions go into effect on June 24. They do not apply to immigrants already on work permits in the U.S., lawful permanent residents, spouses or children of a US citizen, individuals working in the food supply chain or individuals “whose entry would be in the national interest.”
The new visas restrictions for the remainder of the year include:
• L-1 visas for intracompany transfers
• H-1Bs for workers in specialty occupations
• H-4 visa for spouses
• H-2Bs for temporary non-agricultural workers
• J-1 visas for exchange visitors
The CEOs of U.S. technology companies including Google, YouTube and Tesla are criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend H-1B and L1 work visas. Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted,
“Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today’s proclamation — we’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all.”
The Migration Policy Institute predicts that up to 219,000 foreign workers will be blocked as a result of the new executive order.
Contact Godoy Law Office today at 855-554-6369 to answer your questions about immigration, help you file an immigration application and guide you through every step of the immigration process.
