New Delhi (NVI): Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed disappointment over the proclamation issued by the United States that suspends foreign work visas, including H-1B visa, till year-end.
Pichai took to twitter and said, “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.”
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 (@sundarpichai) June 22, 2020
The Google CEO’s reactions comes after US President Donald Trump suspended the temporary work visas, including H-1B, for foreigners till the end of the year. It marks the latest effort to bar the entry of immigrants to the country.
In a statement released by the White House, it was stated that the measure prolongs the ban on US employment permits to year-end and broadens it to include H1-B visas used widely in the tech industry to ensure American workers take first priority as the nation starts recovering from the economic effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The order halts access to several employment-based visas, affecting hundreds of thousands of people seeking to work in the U.S. The technology industry said the move would hurt the economy.
The order freezes new H1-B and H-4 visas, used by technology workers and their families, as well as L visas for intracompany transfers and most J visas for work- and study-abroad programs, including au pairs, through the end of the year.
The issuance of new green cards will also remain halted through the end of the year.
In addition to Google, Twitter Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. also called the order “short-sighted,” saying immigrant tech labor could help the U.S. economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the President’s order won’t affect immigrant workers who already hold the visas.
“Under the extraordinary circumstances of the economic contraction resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak, certain nonimmigrant visa programs authorizing such employment pose an unusual threat to the employment of American workers,” Trump stated in his order.
Reportedly, the US has issued more than 9,00,000 visas in fiscal year 2019 in the categories Trump plans to freeze.
-CHK
