Just in:
No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // Saudi Arabia Unveils Green Financing Tool to Achieve Net-Zero Goals // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young // Digital Hub Unveiled: Xposure Launches Platform for Global Photography Community // Octa seeks to clarify Forex swap and swap-free accounts // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // Aid is at the core of Israel, Palestine struggle to control post-war Gaza // First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // Simplified Business Moves for Al Reem Island Firms // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Samsung Electronics Launches 2024 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, and OLED Displays to Spark the AI Screen Era //
HomeWorldWhat the White House Said About Its Plans for H-1B Visas

What the White House Said About Its Plans for H-1B Visas

BN RW716 indh1b A 20170131045806

Tighter restrictions on skilled worker visas to the U.S. could come via both executive action by President Donald Trump and via Congressional moves, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Indian IT services firms are already girding for possible changes to the H-1B program, which they use to send tens of thousands of workers to the U.S. annually.

While a significant shakeup of the visa program would likely need to be approved by Congress, President Trump could use an executive directive to take steps like ending a provision announced in 2014 that allows spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the U.S, as The Wall Street Journal reported last week.

President Trump on Friday issued a controversial executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, which immediately resulted in the detention of passengers at U.S. airports.

Asked at a press briefing Monday whether he expected an executive order on skilled worker visas anytime soon, Mr. Spicer said “With respect to H-1Bs and other visas, it’s part of a larger immigration reform effort that the president will continue to talk about through executive order and through working with Congress.”

There has already been “a lot of action on immigration,” he said, and “whether it’s that or the spousal visas or other types of visas I think there’s an overall need to look at all these programs.”

“You’ll see both through executive action and through comprehensive legislative measures a way to address immigration as a whole and the visa program,” Mr. Spicer said.

While executive action could take place immediately upon its issuance, Congressional action would likely take longer, analysts say, since any bill would need to be passed by Congress and signed by President Trump.

Policymakers from both sides of the aisle have stepped up their efforts to introduce legsilation following Mr. Trump’s campaign, in which he pledged to protect American workers.

Earlier this month two prominent senators, Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley and Illinois Democrat Richard Durbin, said they planned to re-introduce a bill from 2007 that would demand employers trying to hire workers on H-1B visas to make a “good faith effort” to hire Americans first.

That came after Rep. Darrell Issa, one of the highest-profile Republicans in Congress, said he would reintroduce a bill to restrict H-1Bs.

And last week Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Calif. Democrat, said she was introducing a new bill designed to make it harder for firms to use less expensive workers on H-1B visas.

For breaking news, features and analysis from India, follow WSJ India on Facebook.

(via WSJ)

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Octa seeks to clarify Forex swap and swap-free accounts // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // A Tightrope Saudi Walk Towards Net-Zero // Aid is at the core of Israel, Palestine struggle to control post-war Gaza // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // Samsung Electronics Launches 2024 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, and OLED Displays to Spark the AI Screen Era // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Fri, 29 Mar 2024 // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // Following the Money Trail: US and UK Investigate $20 Billion in USDT Transfers Tied to Sanctioned Russian Exchange // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV //