US-INDIA GLOBAL REVIEW JUL-SEP 2020

12 US-INDIA GLOBAL REVIEW JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 of H-1B also includes Indians as the largest cohort. According to the Trump admin- istration's estimates, extending and expanding the scope of these visas would free up some 525,000 jobs this year alone. "Quite a sig- nificant number, where President Trump is focusing on getting Americans back to work as quick- ly as possible after we’ve suffered this hit to our economy based on the coronavirus and the harm it’s done," the official said. "Taken together, the green card pause, along with the pausing of the H-1Bs, the H-4s, the H-2Bs, Js, and Ls, it will open up about 525,000 jobs for Americans, which is, the President’s priority is get- ting Americans back to work," the official said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce lashed out at the latest step, issuing a statement from CEO Thomas Donahue. " Today’s proclamation is a severe and sweeping attempt to restrict legal immigration. Putting up a ‘not wel- come’ sign for engineers, execu- tives, IT experts, doctors, nurses and other workers won’t help our country, it will hold us back. Restrictive changes to our nation’s immigration system will push investment and economic activity abroad, slow growth, and reduce job creation," Donahue said. "We are fighting for more investment and more growth in America because that means more jobs, and today that fight takes on a new level of urgency. We have long advocated for a rational immigration system that meets the needs of our economy and reflects the values of our country. Today’s proclamation serves neither of those interests. The U.S. Chamber will continue to strongly advocate for an immigra- tion system that serves the inter- ests of all Americans," Donahue added. Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, tweeted, "Now is not the time to cut our nation off from the world's talent or create uncer- tainty and anxiety. Immigrants play a vital role at our company and support our country's critical infra- structure. They are contributing to this country at a time when we need them most." "Disappointed by today's proclamation -- we'll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all," tweet- ed Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google Inc. Amazon put out a statement criticizing the move. "Preventing high skilled professionals from entering the country and contribut- ing to America's economic recov- ery puts American's global com- petitiveness at risk," said a com- pany spokesperson is quoted say- ing in a CNN Business report. And Sean Perryman, director of social impact of The Internet Association whose members include virtually all the multination- al IT companies, said, "IA con- demns the administration’s latest executive order that will limit the number of high-skilled foreign workers from entering the country through the end of the year. The diverse and accomplished H-1B visa holders in the U.S. create American jobs and help our econ- omy grow. All industries benefit from a visa system that allows U.S. companies to attract the best and brightest no matter where they’re from." Alice Wells, former State Department head of the Bureau of South and Central Asia, tweeted, "Being able to attract the best and the brightest through the H1-B visa program has made America more successful and resilient. Knowing how to tap foreign talent is a US strength, ot a weak- ness!#H1B #usindia" "Massive restrictions to legal immigration – including restricting immigrants who contribute to medicine, science, and research in the United States, and who are working as we speak to develop treatments for coronavirus and other deadly diseases – will not only hinder efforts to save lives, but will prevent job creation and hurt our economy as our country struggles to recover," said Todd Schulte, of Fwd.us, an advocacy organization supported by the tech industry. "Bipartisan majorities in Congress have repeatedly reject- ed the President’s multiple “I’d bet a large sum of money that none of these visa bans are ‘temporary.’ It’s abundantly clear that they will last as long as Trump is in office,” - Immigration attorney Doug Rand (Rand worked on immigration policy in the Obama White House as Assistant Director for Entrepreneurship, and is now the co-founder of Boundless Immigration, a technol- ogy company that deals with green cards and citizenship)