HR Policy Association called on President Biden to rescind a Trump-era immigration ban that suspends the issuance of most new H-1B visas for highly skilled workers and L-1 visas for internal company transfers.
The letter, signed by 174 advocacy groups, trade associations, and businesses, urges President Biden to rescind “or halt the impact of Presidential Proclamations 10014 and 10052, which have suspended the entry of many people seeking to enter as immigrants and nonimmigrants and continue to cause harm to a wide cross-section of families, businesses, and communities in the United States.”
In April 2020, President Trump banned most immigration to the U.S. In June 2020, he expanded the ban to certain nonimmigrant visas, halting new H-1B, L-1, and J-1 visas for work-and-study based exchange visitor programs through the end of 2020. On the last day of 2020, the President extended the ban through March 31 of this year.
However, a federal judge granted several business groups a preliminary injunction on the nonimmigrant visa ban. The injunction only applies to those groups and their members.
Our letter reads, “Even with a preliminary injunction in place for some, [Proclamation 10052] creates delays and uncertainties for U.S. employers, their foreign-born professional workers, and their families.”
Outlook: Biden administration officials have signaled their intent to reverse much of the Trump-era immigration agenda, but have not indicated their position on the bans. The Association is encouraged by and supports large parts of President Biden’s approach to immigration reform and is hopeful the President will provide relief to employers in this area in the near future.
