New US Executive Order Impacts Indian Outsourcing World

Posted on: May 4, 2017 by: Deshvidesh

The recent Executive Orders that stresses on ‘Buy American, Hire American’ and asks for a review of the H1-B visa system has many hitting the panic button.
By Taniya Talukdar

Since Donald Trump assumed office in the White House, many people have been waiting on pins and needles to hear about his many reform ideas. One such idea being the Executive Orders that he recently signed stressing his ‘Buy American, Hire American’ agenda. This order emphasizes hiring American workers instead of getting skilled laborers from other countries to work for a lesser rate. The order also calls for the review of the H1-B visa that allows companies to temporarily employ skilled foreign workers in the US. These actions have led to people feeling insecure and unsure about their future on American soil largely because America has always been viewed as an immigrant country.

Without any substantive changes made yet, this recent move has managed to have a psychological effect on the many Indians who are here on H1-B visas. “I think there is a negative impact, psychologically, on the way Indians view US immigration.

The idea that the US is a welcoming community, ready to embrace the positive benefits that legal, skilled workers bring to the country no longer rings true. There is an overwhelming narrative that is unfortunately perpetuated by the media outlets and what should be business leaders in our community, that foreign workers contribute little to the booming US economy in spite of empirical data showing otherwise,” informs Ann K. Cun, an immigration lawyer.

Balaji Gupta, a software professional, who has been in the US for two and a half years on an H1-B visa says, “I don’t think it’s going to affect directly yet but there’s a surprise everyday.

I was in the process of applying for an H1-B visa for my wife but I have put a stop to it at the moment as we’re not sure yet what will come out of the review. Though I feel that it will mostly affect workers from the lower income group, if at all it does.”

That the outcome of the review might affect the spouses of H1-B visa holders isn’t lost on them. One such spouse on conditions of anonymity says, “Spouses of H1-B visa holders get an H4 dependent visa and it doesn’t give them the power to work. Because of that they can’t have bank accounts or social security numbers. However, in 2015, under President Barack Obama’s administration, certain spouses were allowed to work under the H4EAD rule. It stated that anyone who had an I-140 approved could obtain a work permit. But this might change if there are changes proposed and approved after the review.”

Upon further review, the situation is not as grim as it seems. All’s not lost yet as the order hasn’t set a deadline for the review, nor does it suggest any changes to the program yet. Viswa Alluri, who is also on an H1-B visa in the US, has a positive approach towards this. He says, “I don’t see anything that is going to impact H1-B holders with the recent executive orders. It is an order to USCIS and other officials to investigate more into the program and try to stop abusing it.”

Cun believes the latest Executive Order might not really be clear in terms of the outcome. She says, “It is very vague in providing guidance to federal agencies on the specifics and the timelines in which the President would like to see reforms to the H-1B program. While there was a lot of fanfare surrounding the announcement last week, the substantive guidance that the public is seeking is sorely missing. President Trump has essentially asked various federal agencies to conduct an internal review, provide reports and make recommendations on how to streamline the H-1B program. It can hardly be said to be a road map for any meaningful reform.”

“It’s always recommended to read reliable news sources about immigration-related events rather than relying on word-of-mouth rumors about what may or may not happen,” she signs off.

2017 Immigration Reform: Additional Information

2017 Immigration Reform: Additional Information Given the impact of current immigration reform on our community, Desh-Videsh has compiled additional background information on the topic. Please visit Desh-Videsh (www.deshvidesh.com) online for a detailed look at the information.