Citing issues related to the protection of the US workers amid the coronavirus-induced job losses and shrunken economy, the outgoing administration of Donald Trump extended the suspensions halting immigration grants and work visas for foreigners.
Similar bans were placed in April and June and were scheduled to get lifted on December 31st, 2020. However, with the fresh orders, the bans will continue their effect till March 31st, 2021.
These suspensions become one of the last-minute actions being taken by the Trump administration before President-elect Joe Biden takes the chair. Many business houses have spoken against the bans as they say it can fetch them losses.
Joining the list of people opposing this is Joe Biden, set to take the pledge on January 20th, 2021. Although he hasn’t mentioned whether he would immediately lift the bans or not following his entry into the White House, the President-elect has criticized the move.
These restrictions that stop many “green card” applicants from attaining their residency permits, taken by Trump, are in the form of presidential declarations, which are eligible to be reversed easily.
Due to the pandemic and its tightening grasp on the country, at least 20 million individuals in the United States are on unemployment benefits.
Back in October, Trump’s ban on foreign workers was blocked by a federal judge of California. Many US companies had fought in court against the policy that stopped them from hiring potential employees.
The judge said that the restriction would lead to “irreparable harm” to organizations as it could make unwanted amendments to their functionality, ultimately resulting in dozens of lay-offs and closure of open positions that could otherwise be filled up by foreign workers.
The U.S. Department of Justice had requested the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to take the final decision, which is scheduled to hear the petition and arguments of both parties on Jan. 19.
The ban that started from June 22nd, 2020 hit Indians the hardest as they are the single largest group of H1-B visa-holders accounting for nearly 74 percent of the work visas.
A US official said that Trump wants the wage structure for H-1B visas to be changed from the current one set during the administration of former President Bill Clinton, and the new minimum will be the 50th percentile of the national income. That is the median income or the middle of the range and is currently $63,000, according to the Census Bureau.
The official said that Trump wants the changes made as soon as possible “will do so by regulation as soon as we possibly can.”
When Trump imposed a 60-day pause on permanent immigrant visas or green cards on April 22, the H-1B and other temporary work visas escaped the freeze but are now affected.
The green card restrictions, which do not apply to spouses and children of immigrants, will also now continue until the end of the year.
The White House announcement of the new freeze said that it would also encompass H-2B, H-4, L-1, and J-1 visas.
However, those in the healthcare field and those considered important for national security will be exempt and continue to receive visas, as will farmworkers and nannies.
The White House linked the freeze to the high unemployment level in the US because of the COVID-19 blow to the economy saying that the pause is to “ensure we continue putting American workers first during our ongoing coronavirus recovery.”
The official said the pause would help workers already in the country get access to more than 525,000 jobs.
