Ban on new foreign workers left US jobs unfilled, even in covid downturn
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Alicia A. Caldwell
, The Wall Street Journal
Visa restrictions last year were partly intended to keep more jobs open for Americans as unemployment surged
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The U.S. closed the door to nearly all incoming foreign workers last year. The causes were Covid-19 restrictions that locked global borders and Trump administration policies that drastically reduced work visas, with the exception of farmworkers. The effect was an unexpected experiment in one of the country’s most hotly debated issues the relationship between the labor market and immigration.
H-1B visa: What happened in US immigration this week?
Two decisions that made getting H-1B visas difficult have been put on hold for 60 days, awaiting review. January 31, 2021 / 12:52 PM IST
The Biden administration is moving to reverse the protectionist policies of former President Donald Trump. Starting with signing the immigration bill on January 20, the administration has taken steps to ensure that some of the decisions on H-1B visa holders are rescinded.
These include the withdrawal of conditions that makes it tough to qualify for H-1B visa, a favourite among Indian techies. Two policies that changed H-1B rules the selection of applications based on wages and increased wages for the visa holders were put on hold for 60 days awaiting review.
Fresh H-1B Approval Rates For Indian IT Firms Rise Between July And September 2020: American Think Tank moneycontrol.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from moneycontrol.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
These two US rules on H-1B visa can hit Indian IT companies hard
In a last-ditch attempt to push its anti-immigration agenda, the Trump administration last week reissued rules for wage hikes and H-1B visa programme. January 17, 2021 / 02:33 PM IST
The immigration authorities in the US finalised two rules in the week gone by that can damage Indian IT firms and also Indians. The department of labor’s wage hike rule and stringent regulations that will make it tough to qualify for H-1B visa were finalised as the Trump administration winds down.
The final wage hike rule kicks in 60 days and the H-1B visa regulations 180 days after the date of publication. These were first announced on October 6, 2020 but were blocked by courts. Final rules are promulgated after people have had a chance to comment on them.