Trump Administration Working On Temporary Ban Of H-1B Visas As Unemployment Levels Peak

Trump administration is working on a temporary ban on work-based visas like H-1B. These are non-immigrant visa that allows companies to hire employees from countries like India and China.

500,000 migrant workers are employed in the US in the H-1B status. (Getty Image)

New Delhi: The Unite States of America is working on a temporary ban on issuance of some work-based visas like H-1B, which is a non-immigrant visa which allows companies to hire employees from countries like India & China. This visa is popular among IT company workers and students. According to a PTI report, the H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers from countries like India and China in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Nearly 500,000 migrant workers are employed in the US in the H-1B status. According to The Wall Street Journal report, “The order is expected to focus on visa categories including H-1B, designed for highly skilled workers, and H-2B, for seasonal migrant workers, as well as student visas and the work authorization that accompanies them.” The coronavirus pandemic has led to 33 million people to lose their jobs over a course of 2 months. In the month of April, the unemployment rate rose to 14.7% which is the largest and highest in American history. The IMF and the World Bank have projected a negative growth rate for the country. As such, the Trump administration, having temporarily closed borders and curtailed immigration in response to the coronavirus pandemic, is moving to expand those restrictions while the president's advisers push to leave them in place for months or even years to come, according to several people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported. A group of four Republican Senators in a letter urged Trump to suspend all-new guest worker visas for 60 days and some of its categories, including the H-1B visa, for at least the next year or until unemployment figures return to normal levels in the country.