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By
Michelle Hackman
Updated June 22, 2020 7:38 pm ET
The restrictions, which are set to take effect June 24 and last through the end of the year, will prevent hundreds of thousands of new immigrants who were expected to rely on the visas to work in industries ranging from tech and consulting to landscaping and seasonal jobs at resorts.
Administration officials say the move will safeguard jobs for unemployed Americans as the economy sputters—and joblessness has soared—because of lockdowns designed to contain the pandemic.
Tech-industry officials and other business leaders warned the decision would cramp companies’ ability to recruit top talent to the U.S. and bar immigrants who fill unique skill sets or take jobs most Americans won’t perform. Colleges said it would discourage top students abroad from studying in the U.S.
The order is likely to be challenged in court by business groups.
“This is a full-frontal attack on American innovation and our nation’s ability to benefit from attracting talent from around the world,” said Todd Schulte, president of Fwd.us, a pro-immigration group that advocates on behalf of American businesses.
The restrictions expand on a temporary immigration ban Mr. Trump introduced in April that blocked some family members of U.S. citizens with newly issued green cards from moving to the U.S. for the time being.
In addition to the H-1B visa, the temporary ban will apply to new H-2B visas for short-term seasonal workers in landscaping and other nonfarm jobs, J-1 visas for short-term workers including camp counselors and au pairs, and L-1 visas for internal company transfers.
The administration will grant exemptions for health-care workers focused on treating and researching Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as well as those working in the food-supply chain, including seafood and food packaging, officials said.
The administration also will develop an additional exemption for people who “are necessary to facilitate the immediate and continued economic recovery of the United States.”
The new restrictions won’t apply to visa-holders already in the U.S., or those outside the country who have already been issued valid visas.
The restrictions are set to last beyond Oct. 1, the start of the government’s fiscal year, when new H-1B visas in particular tend to be issued.
The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute estimates the restrictions will block about 325,000 immigrants and their family members through the end of the year, though a senior Trump administration official put the number at 525,000.
The senior official estimated the move would reallocate about 500,000 jobs to out-of-work Americans in what he described as an “America-first recovery.”
The expanded ban follows pressure from immigration hard-liners, who have demanded the administration take steps to limit the number of foreign workers coming to the country to ensure Americans get jobs first as the economy rebounds.
Michelle Hackman
Updated June 22, 2020 7:38 pm ET
The restrictions, which are set to take effect June 24 and last through the end of the year, will prevent hundreds of thousands of new immigrants who were expected to rely on the visas to work in industries ranging from tech and consulting to landscaping and seasonal jobs at resorts.
Administration officials say the move will safeguard jobs for unemployed Americans as the economy sputters—and joblessness has soared—because of lockdowns designed to contain the pandemic.
Tech-industry officials and other business leaders warned the decision would cramp companies’ ability to recruit top talent to the U.S. and bar immigrants who fill unique skill sets or take jobs most Americans won’t perform. Colleges said it would discourage top students abroad from studying in the U.S.
The order is likely to be challenged in court by business groups.
“This is a full-frontal attack on American innovation and our nation’s ability to benefit from attracting talent from around the world,” said Todd Schulte, president of Fwd.us, a pro-immigration group that advocates on behalf of American businesses.
The restrictions expand on a temporary immigration ban Mr. Trump introduced in April that blocked some family members of U.S. citizens with newly issued green cards from moving to the U.S. for the time being.
In addition to the H-1B visa, the temporary ban will apply to new H-2B visas for short-term seasonal workers in landscaping and other nonfarm jobs, J-1 visas for short-term workers including camp counselors and au pairs, and L-1 visas for internal company transfers.
The administration will grant exemptions for health-care workers focused on treating and researching Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as well as those working in the food-supply chain, including seafood and food packaging, officials said.
The administration also will develop an additional exemption for people who “are necessary to facilitate the immediate and continued economic recovery of the United States.”
The new restrictions won’t apply to visa-holders already in the U.S., or those outside the country who have already been issued valid visas.
The restrictions are set to last beyond Oct. 1, the start of the government’s fiscal year, when new H-1B visas in particular tend to be issued.
The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute estimates the restrictions will block about 325,000 immigrants and their family members through the end of the year, though a senior Trump administration official put the number at 525,000.
The senior official estimated the move would reallocate about 500,000 jobs to out-of-work Americans in what he described as an “America-first recovery.”
The expanded ban follows pressure from immigration hard-liners, who have demanded the administration take steps to limit the number of foreign workers coming to the country to ensure Americans get jobs first as the economy rebounds.
