US extends freeze on H-1B, different work visas till March 31; Indian IT professionals to be hit

Image Source : PTI Trump extends freeze on H-1B, different work visas till March 31
US President Donald Trump has prolonged the freeze on essentially the most sought-after H-1B visas together with different sorts of international work visas by three months to guard American staff, saying whereas therapeutics and COVID-19 vaccines are not too long ago obtainable, their impact on the labour market and neighborhood well being has not but been totally realised.

The resolution will impression numerous Indian IT professionals and several other American and Indian firms who have been issued H-1B visas by the US authorities for the fiscal 12 months 2021 starting October 1.

The freeze on varied classes of labor visas was ordered by Trump via two proclamations on April 22 and June 22 final 12 months.

Hours earlier than the freeze was set to run out on December 31, Trump issued one other proclamation on Thursday to increase it till March 30.

He mentioned that the explanations for which he had issued such a restriction has not modified.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that enables US firms to make use of international staff in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical experience. The expertise firms depend upon it to rent tens of 1000’s of workers every year from nations like India and China.

They would now have to attend a minimum of until the top of March earlier than approaching the US diplomatic missions to get stamping. It would additionally impression numerous Indian IT professionals who’re searching for renewal of their H-1B visas.

President Trump mentioned that the consequences of COVID-19 on the US labour market and the well being of American communities is a matter of ongoing nationwide concern, and the concerns current within the two earlier proclamations haven’t been eradicated.

“The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to significantly disrupt Americans’ livelihoods. While the November overall unemployment rate in the United States of 6.7 per cent reflects a marked decline from its April high, there were still 9,834,000 fewer seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in November than in February of 2020,” Trump mentioned in his proclamation.

The present variety of new every day circumstances worldwide reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), for instance, is increased than the comparable quantity current throughout June, and whereas therapeutics and vaccines are not too long ago obtainable for an rising variety of Americans, their impact on the labour market and neighborhood well being has not but been totally realised, he mentioned.

“Moreover, actions such as States’ continued imposition of restrictions on businesses still affect the number of workers that can be hired as compared with February of 2020,” Trump mentioned, including that his newest proclamation could also be prolonged if obligatory. 

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