Last week we posted about the Trump Administration’s immigration order that could halt H-1B visa holders from entering US for few months. This Monday, the White House followed up with details of the move that business leaders strongly oppose.
Details of the announcement on – The White House webpage – President Donald J. Trump Is Putting American Workers First as We Restore Our Economy to Greatness.
The following visa categories will be affected by the latest executive action:
- H-1B visas are issued to ‘high-skilled’ workers, and most of them go to technology workers. In fiscal year 2019, about 131,549 Indian citizens and 28,483 Chinese were issued H1-B visas.
- H-2B visas are generally issued for seasonal non-agricultural labor. They are generally valid for up to three years and are popular in industries like food processing, hotel work, and landscaping. Most of the H-2B visas are issued to Mexican citizens (During Fiscal 2019, it was about 72,339 visas).
- H-4 visas are for the spouses and children of H-1B and H-2B holders. In fiscal year 2019, H-4 125,999 visas were issued – about 106,162 were for Indian citizens, followed by 5,701 for those from China.
- J-1 visas are for cultural and educational exchange. The order applies to J-1 holders “participating in an intern, trainee, teacher, camp counselor, au pair, or summer work travel program.”
- J-2 visas are for the spouses and dependents of J-1 holders.
- L-1 visas are for high-level and specialized company employees. In fiscal year 2019, the Department of State issued 76,988 L-1 visas; about 18,354 were for Indian citizens, followed by 5,902 for citizens of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and 5,295 for Brazilian citizens.
- L-2 visas are for the dependents of L-1 holders.
More about Temporary visas on the State Department website
A notification from US Embassy, New Delhi adds:
The Department of State is committed to implementing this Proclamation in an orderly fashion in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security and interagency partners, and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
- The extension of Proclamation 10014 is effective immediately. The new provisions of this proclamation are effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 24, 2020. This proclamation does not apply to persons who already hold a U.S. visa issued prior to 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 24, 2020.
- Under the Proclamation, the Department of State temporarily will continue not to issue certain categories of immigrant visas (continuing PP10014), as well as not issue H-1B, H-2B, L, and certain J nonimmigrant visas, and their derivative visa categories for family members, apart from certain exceptions as laid out in the Proclamation itself. (Note: H-4 derivatives associated with H-2A and H-3 principal applications may still be issued.)
- The Proclamation is not retroactive. No valid visas will be revoked under this Proclamation. For questions regarding entry into the United States, we refer you to the Department of Homeland Security.