IT industry body Nasscom said that the Executive Order signed by President Trump suspending the entry of certain non-immigrants into the US and setting new conditions for others is misguided and harmful to the US economy. “Coming on the heels of the problems created by the coronavirus crisis and the USCIS and DOS office closures that have delayed the processing of visas and made it difficult, if not, impossible at times to travel to or from the United States, this new proclamation will prevent our companies and thousands of other organizations from accessing the talent they need from overseas,” it said. It also urged the administration to shorten the duration of these restrictions to 90 days. “Lengthening these burdensome restrictions on U.S. companies that are trying to recover from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic will only serve to harm our economy,”
With very few exceptions, Indian nationals and others who are granted new H-1Bs or L-1s as well as other visa types after 23rd June will not be allowed to enter the United States until the proclamation expires.
It said that several US universities, corporations, medical facilities and research institutions had asked the President not to take such an action because of the potential harm it would do to the country as it reopens. Similar sentiments were voiced by Republican and Democratic members of Congress and governors.
“Even though our companies have hired tens of thousands of Americans and invested billions of dollars in recent years, they like others in the sector utilize such high skilled individuals to services their clients. This new proclamation will impose new challenge and possibly force more work to be performed offshore since the local talent is not available,” said the statement.
Nasscom, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Medical Association, Compete America, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Association of American Universities had written to the President and his Secretaries that policies such as these undercut the ability to grow and create jobs, inhibit the provision of critical infrastructure services, and add burdensome new regulatory requirements and costs. “Virtually every segment of the American economy, including manufacturing, technology, accounting, medicine, among others, employ skilled workers from other countries for the innovation, productivity, and skill they bring to their companies or for their clients,” according to Nasscom. It added that its members provide essential services to hospitals and pharma companies, as well as government agencies, technology and communications firms. Highly skilled non-immigrants play an important role in the delivery of these services, and without their continued contributions to the U.S. economy, the economic pain would worsen. Further, these workers pay taxes and contribute to the economy in other ways.
Recent research from the National Foundation for American Progress found that the unemployment rate for computer professionals actually went down from 3% in January 2020 to 2.8% in April 2020, according to its analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey.
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