Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday which will halt temporary work visas until the end of the year, Wall Street Journalreports.
This order will impact skilled workers coming from out of the country who apply for an H-1B visa, seasonal workers who receive a H-2B visa, H-4 for spouses of H-1B visa holders, and more. It comes after Trump announced his decision to temporarily suspend immigration to the United States in April in order to supposedly protect American jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Trump Administration claims this move is meant to open up as many as 525,000 jobs for Americans, as the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a U.S. unemployment rate of 13.3 percent for the month of May. However, that figure is likely higher.
The suspension of H-1B visas will be a major hit for companies based in the United States, which rely upon skilled foreign workers, with advanced degrees, to remain up to par with its competitors around the world. TechCrunch reports that this move could lead to tech industries relocating more of their operations overseas, especially if it means that they can hire and retain their top talent without any excessive hindrance from the government.
This order is just the latest example of Trump waging war on immigration, especially after the Supreme Court ruled against his administration's efforts to terminate the Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Protection program last week. DACA allows for people who were brought into the U.S. as children to be eligible for a work permit and spared of deportation on a renewable two-year basis. USA Today reports DACA has more than 650,000 recipients.
Around 170,000 Green Card holders have also been barred from coming into the U.S. since April.
