Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order preventing federal agencies from contracting or subcontracting foreign workers mainly those on H-1B visa from hiring, as the administration is addressing a major economic fallout, including high unemployment among Americans, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a huge blow to Indian IT professionals eyeing the US job market, the proclamation comes into effect from June 24 and will expire on December 31. These curbs are expected to impact a large number of them and several American and Indian companies who were issued H-1B visas by the US government for the fiscal year 2021 beginning October 1.
H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows companies in the US to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India. Nearly 500,000 migrant workers are employed in the US in the H-1B status.
