E-Paper
Foreign workers impacted by Trump travel ban can reapply for H-1B visa with new fee
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services recently announced the completion of the H-1B cap lottery process for the fiscal year 2022.
The US department of state Thursday announced that H-1B applicants who were denied a visa due to travel ban can now reapply by submitting a new application. In June 2020, then US President Donald Trump temporarily suspended employment-based nonimmigrant visas, including H-1B, to “prioritise the highest-skilled workers and protect American jobs” amid coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. The ban on foreign workers visa was later extended to March 31, 2021, which expired two days ago.
“Visa applicants who were previously refused visas due to the restrictions of Presidential Proclamation 10052 may reapply by submitting a new application including a new fee,” the state department’s travel advisory stated.
The department also assured that the visa applications of those who have not yet been interviewed or scheduled for an interview will be prioritised and processed in accordance with the existing phased resumption of routine visa services. No specific dates have been declared by the department for the resumption of specific visa services at each US mission or when they will return to the processing at pre-pandemic workload levels.
“The resumption of routine visa services, prioritized after services to U.S. citizens, is occurring on a post-by-post basis, consistent with the Department’s guidance for safely returning our workforce to Department facilities,” the state department added.
Last year, Tech leaders like Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook had expressed disappointment over the Trump administration’s decision to temporarily ban nonimmigrant visas and reform the H-1B immigration program. Pichai, an immigrant himself, said that immigration has contributed immensely to the economic success of the United States, making it a global leader in technology.
H-1B visa allows US employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in speciality occupations and Indian IT professionals looking for onshore opportunities heavily depend on it. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Tuesday announced the completion of the H-1B cap lottery process for the fiscal year 2022 as they received enough e-registrations to reach the H-1B quota of 85,000, including the master’s cap.
