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New York, May 9
Five lawmakers asked United States President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend new H-1B visas and practical training visas as unemployment in the country soars to the highest numbers ever recorded.
His proposals do not call for suspending the visas of those already working here, and senators who requested the one-year suspension on Thursday said it would benefit H1-B workers facing layoffs.
When Trump suspended certain categories of permanent immigrant visas, also known as green cards, for 60 days last month, he left only temporary visas.
Four Republican senators wrote to Trump: “Given the extreme lack of jobs available to American job seekers as portions of our economy begin to reopen, it defies common sense to admit additional foreign guest workers to compete for such limited employment. ” A lone Republican member of the House of Representatives, Paul Gosar, had made a similar request to Trump last month after his decision to suspend some categories of immigration.
The COVID-19 situation has changed the employment situation, with the nation going from a historically low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent in February to 14.5 percent on Friday with more than 30 million unemployed people fueling calls for restrictions on foreign workers.
Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Chuck Grassley and Josh Hawley suggested suspending all work visas for 60 days and then suspending only a few categories “at least for the next year, or until unemployment has returned to normal levels.” His proposal to suspend new visas for one year would apply to H-1B for professional non-agricultural H-2B visas, EB-5 for investing immigrants, and Optional Practical Training (OPT) for students and recent graduates.
By not including agricultural workers in the H-2A category, they bow to the demands of the powerful agricultural lobby, which relies heavily on workers from mainly Latin America and the Caribbean for short-term tasks.
Nor did they specifically mention L-1 visas for employees of foreign companies transferred to work in the US. USA, which are used by Indian companies for projects in the USA. USA
In presenting their case to temporarily suspend the new H1-B visas, the senators mentioned the plight of “hundreds of thousands of H-1B workers and their families already working in the United States, workers who could otherwise be deported if they are fired. ” for more than 60 days. “Suspending new H1-B visas could help those who already find work if they are laid off.
They also wanted exemptions for medical and healthcare workers, which were characteristic of the suspension of Trump’s green card.
If OPT visas are suspended, they would seriously affect students who had taken loans, sometimes reaching more than $ 100,000, to finance their education and could be unable to repay them without being able to work here.
While all students can earn a one-year OPT, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates are eligible for a two-year extension, which can be a pathway to H1-B visas.
The largest contingent of foreign students are from China, which sent 369,548, followed by India with 202,014, according to the Institute of International Education.
Chinese students have faced seething hostility over technology transfer and very few cases of intellectual property theft, which could be used to promote the suspension of OPT for all.
Indians are the largest group of H1-B visa holders accounting for almost 74 percent of all those visas, and any future visa bans in the category would likely affect them in the same proportion.
The suspension of the green card was more of a political spectacle, as international travel restrictions and suspension of flights have limited travel, making it impossible for most people to travel here.
While only five senators in a chamber of 100 and a Representative of 435 have made the request, they will be endorsed by groups opposing the H1-B visa system, saying it affects American workers.
Tech companies have opposed cutting H1-B visas.
IANS
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