US-INDIA GLOBAL REVIEW JUL-SEP 2020

11 US-INDIA GLOBAL REVIEW JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 P resident Donald Trump passed an Executive Order that takes effect June 24, 2020, that extended and expand- ed the suspension of certain visas through the end of this year. The expansion is going to include a number of non-immigrants visas: the H-1B visa, H-4 visa, the H-2B visa, and J and L visas, several of which U.S. companies use exten- sively and have opposed adminis- tration efforts to curb. The "Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak" notes that the pandem- ic has "significantly disrupted Americans' livelihoods," and mil- lions of Americans remain out of work. (Text of Proclamation avail- able at - https://t.co/ve4w8gJt2H?amp=1) In effect, visas for computer programmers who were hoping to come by the Oct. 31, 2020 lottery, are blocked, as are other skilled workers, affecting possibly tens of thousands of Indian applicants waiting to process papers for trav- eling to the U.S. before Dec. 31. Till that date, multinational American companies, and Indian companies operating in the U.S. are not going to be able to trans- fer their employees to the U.S. And, it puts a halt to spouses of H-1B workers, those eligible for H- 4 visas, to come over. Back on April 22 this year, President Trump had put a 60-day pause on incoming green cards coming into the country who can take any job they like once they’re here. That pause has been extended to December 31. The changes are a result of the President's concern about rising unemployment figures of more than 40 million Americans, a sen- ior administration official speaking in a call-in background briefing on the Proclamation said. The H-1B is the high-tech visa where the highest percentage of applicants are of Indian origin. The H-4 visa along with the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) which spouses Visa Curbs By Ela Dutt IMMIGRATION U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during his first re-election campaign rally in several months in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID- 19) outbreak, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., June 20, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis U.S. business cries foul as President Trump extends and expands limitations on visas most used by Indians