US President Donald Trump extended the freeze on the issuance of “green cards” for new immigrants and suspended H-1B, L, and other temporary work permits to encourage local employment and curb the rising unemployment caused by the novel coronavirus. The suspension will not affect people who are already stationed in the USA and live in the country, but people applying for work visas or those outside the USA will not be allowed to work. The Optional Practical Training (OPT) for students graduating in the USA will still be operational. Trump’s administrations say that this will free up 525,000 jobs for American workers, especially in the IT sector. US-based tech industries are voicing their opinion saying that this move will restrict the growth of innovation and hurt the economy by delaying the recovery process. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, took to Twitter to voice his concern; he tweeted, “Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today’s proclamation – we’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all.” Sundar Pichai is an Indian born immigrant in the USA. Many professionals like him went to the USA to achieve their dreams, and this suspension will limit those dreams. I will stop researches, innovation, and ultimately affect the growth of the nation.
IT industry had been the most prominent industry applying for H-1B visas. Almost 51% of these visas were applied by people in firms like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and a few more. Vanita Gupta, the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, slammed Trump’s latest move. “The latest travel ban is a new season of the same racist, xenophobic show put on by Donald Trump and Stephen Miller.” Many professionals are looking forward to the court to intercede on their behalf and stop this order from passing. Since January, Trump says that more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs for various reasons, and their posts are being filled by immigrants, which has resulted in fewer opportunities for Americans. He wants to improve the situation after the pandemic, which hurts the nation’s economy, increasing debts on people; he wants to give Americans’ employment opportunities which, if not done, will pose a significant threat to the country. Indians account for 70% of the 85,000 H1-B visas given every year and will restrict Indians from entering the nation and profit from the USA’s resources. Many believe the technology and IT sector will be crucial for the rebuilding of the economy. If such an order passes and is executed, it could be fatal for this industry and hamper its growth.
