by Washington (AP) -1B visa has long been a very sought-after employment visa for foreign citizens with special skills to live and work in the USA, and the most recent inquiries from the Trump administration have paid more attention to the program.
The inquiries about further information from people who apply for H-1B-VISA will take place in the middle of an increased tension about immigration, since President Donald Trump tries to illegally adhere to his mass loss of people in the country.
Much of Trump’s agenda focused on illegally arrested by people in the country or reverse the temporary deportation protection of the bidea era. There was less than 1,000 international students to revoke their visa or their legal status less than 1,000 international students.
The inquiries for information come, since the H-1b-Visa program is already a source of departments within the Republican party of Trump.
Here you can see what the H-1b visa program is, what critics and supporters say and how the recent questions of the administration have raised concerns.
What is an H-1b visa?
The H-1B was created as part of the 1990 Immigration Act.
It is not a kind of immigrant visa, which means that it enables a temporary stay in the USA and is not intended for humans who want to immigrate permanently. After all, some do it, but only after the transition to various immigration status.
An H-1B enables employers to stop foreign workers with special skills and a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent conclusion.
Who uses H-1b visa?
The visa is most commonly connected to the Tech industry. According to the PEW Research Center, around 60% or more have applied to computer-related jobs that have been approved since 2012 since 2012.
But health institutions, financial institutions, universities and almost any other employer who begins to offer labor offers can apply for H-1B visa.
The number of new visas issued annually was limited to 65,000 and another 20,000 for people with a master’s degree or higher. Some employers such as universities and non -profit organizations are freed from the borders.
According to PEW, people from India are by far the largest users of this visa. The organization said that most approvals have gone to people in India every year since 2010.
What makes the H-1 program controversial?
The idea behind the H-1b
Proponents say that the visa is a critical tool for the missing positions. However, critics on both sides of the Ganges said that this undermining US citizens who could accept these jobs. Some have asked the program on the right. And at the beginning of this year, Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator from Vermont, wrote a devastating open letter that was about the fact that the actual purpose of the program “American workers replaced by lower -paid workers from abroad who often live as an indication”.
The debate about the future of H-1b-Visa is particularly pronounced in the GOP.
On the one hand there are wealthy members of the Tech world who support the visa to bring more qualified workers. On the other hand, there are people from Trump’s Make America Great Base, who campaigned for his immigration policy, and say that these visas can pay employers lower wages than if they hire Americans.
The topic spat out in a very public spit at the end of last year after Trump Sriram Krishnan, who preferred and brought more experienced immigrants to the USA, brought in as a consultant for artificial intelligence policy.
What’s going on with reports of unusual letters about H-1b-visa?
In the past few days, some lawyers have reported immigration to receive unusual inquiries about clients who apply for or renew H-1B visa or other types of employment visa.
Kevin Miner, partner of the Global law firm Fragomen, said dozens of members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (Aila) have received inquiries in letters in the past two weeks.
He quoted two versions: One said that the immigration service had identified “disadvantageous information” in connection with the Visa applicant, and you have to make an appointment to collect biometry for the process of the case.
The second, he said, only says that biometry is required without mentioning “disadvantaged information”. Miner said that these inquiries were generally asked by people to apply for or renew an H-1b visa or an I-140, a green card sponsored by employees.
Miner pointed out two things that make these inquiries unusual: in general there is no biometry for these types of visa, and if the government wishes more information, your inquiries are specific.
“It is usually a back and forth process,” said Miner, who heads a directive and performance committee for the non-partisan Aila. “It’s different.”
Miner also said that the officials would usually carry out the period of announcements and obligations, which notifies lawyers and applicants to approach changes.
“They didn’t do that here,” said Miner.
A spokesman for US citizenship and immigration services that fall under the Department of Homeland Security said in an e -mail declaration that they increased the screening and review of all foreign citizens in the context of the Trump administration as part of the “obligation of the Trump government to restore the integrity of our immigration system” and said that these efforts had “in the previous Administration initiated ”.
“Collecting information and biometric data is a necessary part of the efforts of the USCIs to promote national security and public security and was to alleviate by carrying out screening and review in all immigration programs, and the agency is proud to return to this important work,” said the speaker of the agency, Matthew carrying bracket.
What happens to immigration policy?
The Trump administration has promised mass deportations of people who live illegally in the United States, tries to remove hundreds of thousands of people of their deportation protection and calls Visa of International Students.
More than 1,000 international students have been revoked their visas or legal status since the beginning of April, according to a review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court files.
The revocations are often either the students or their schools with little announcement and are initiated by the government, a deviation from previous precedent – university officials have largely carried out administrative updates from the database when a student has graduated or not from a good academic status.
Miner said that people were concerned about the fact that similar measures for those affected by the employment visa are concerned.
“There is just so much unknown,” he said.
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Associated Press Reporter Annie Ma contributed to this report.
