Trump signs executive order to temporarily suspend H-1B work visas

President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily halting the H-1B visa program for highly-skilled workers which some observers said could lead to labour shortages at technology companies.

Visa-holders already in the US and those applicants who had already received a visa would be exempted from the ban.

The restrictions were intended to run until the end of 2020 with the government’s annual process for awarding new visas, which typically begins at the start of the fiscal year, in October, also expected to be impacted.

Officials from the Trump administration told the Wall Street Journal that the move was intended to protect American jobs despite warnings from the tech industry that the visa restrictions would hurt the nation’s ability to compete.

“The technology industry is working overtime to keep Americans connected during a global pandemic by providing food delivery services, telehealth care, collaborative business solutions, and ways for families and friends to stay connected,” Linda Moore, the president and chief executive of the tech industry’s lobbying group, TechNet, in a statement.

“Looking forward, technology will continue to be crucial to the rebuilding of our economy. Today’s executive order only hinders the ability of businesses to make decisions on how best to deploy their existing workforce and hire new employees. This will slow innovation and undermine the work the technology industry is doing to help our country recover from unprecedented events.”

Estimates provided to the Wall Street Journal indicated that roughly 525,000 people would be barred from entering the US as a result of the expanded travel restrictions.