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UPDATED: Administration Makes It Harder for Companies to Hire Skilled International Employees
In their continued efforts to curb immigration of all varieties, the Trump administration suspended a program that allows high-skill industries to more easily hire the best talent from around the world.
The US is temporarily suspending expedited processing of H-1B visas, eliminating the option of shorter wait times for the program that helps highly skilled foreigners work at US companies.
Under the current system, companies submitting applications for H-1B visas for potential employees can pay extra for expedited processing, which is referred to as premium processing.
The suspension can last up to 6 months before additional action will be required to continue the restriction.
H-1B visas are a vital tool that the technology, engineering, academia, and other industries use to recruit top international talent. Already demand for these visas far outstrips the very limited supply. In an era where knowledge workers and elite talent are major drivers of the economy, putting impediments recruiting elite talent will encourage some American companies to relocate major jobs centers to other countries.
UPDATE: The U.S. Immigration Agency will lose millions because it can’t process Visas fast enough.
Fees from so-called “premium processing” to expedite H-1B visas have paid for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ efforts to digitize. But the agency hasn’t been able to keep up with demand, forcing it to suspend its cash cow.
Sources: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/04/us/h1b-visa-premium-processing-suspended/