U.S. to Temporarily Suspend New H-1B and Other Job Visas

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U.S. to Temporarily Suspend New H-1B and Other Job Visas

Wall Street Journal

Administration officials say the move will safeguard jobs for unemployed Americans. Tech-industry officials and other business leaders have warned that the decision will cramp companies’ ability to recruit top talent to the U.S. and leading them to move more operations abroad.

The new restrictions, which are set to last until the end of the year, expand on a temporary immigration ban Mr. Trump introduced in April that blocked some family members of U.S. citizens and reduced the number of high-skilled workers from immigrating to the U.S. for the time being.

A senior administration official estimated the expanded travel restrictions will prevent about 525,000 people from entering the country between now and the end of the year, including 170,000 green-card holders who have been barred from coming to the U.S. since April. The senior official estimated the move will reallocate about 500,000 jobs to out-of-work Americans in what he described as an “America-first recovery.”

In addition to the H-1B visa, the temporary ban will apply to new H-2B visas for short-term seasonal workers in landscaping and other nonfarm jobs, J-1 visas for short-term workers including camp counselors and au pairs and L-1 visas for internal company transfers.

The administration will grant exemptions for health-care workers focused on treating and researching Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as well as those working in the food supply chain, including seafood and food packaging, officials said.

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Rumors of the temporary restrictions had been circulating for several weeks, prompting businesses—including tech companies and seasonal employers, along with colleges and universities—to publicly urge the administration to abandon its plans. The business groups say that barring immigrants who fill unique skill sets or take jobs most Americans won’t perform would hamper economic growth rather than bolster it.

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