President Trump Extends Immigrant Suspension Through 2020

On April 22 of this year, President Trump signed an executive order suspending the entry of certain aliens as immigrants for 60 days.

Today, President Trump has extended that order to also apply to non-immigrants with H-1B, H-2B, J, and L visas. The suspension of both immigrants and non-immigrants will remain in place through December 31, 2020.

Non-immigrants are those seeking entry into the United States for temporary work reasons, such as individuals who receive an H-1B visa, which is typically for specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree; an H-2B visa, usually for seasonal jobs; a J visa, which covers au pairs, camp counselors, work-study programs, and the like; or an L visa, a type of visa allowing business executives to transfer to the U.S. from a foreign office.

As the unemployment rate remains high, President Trump argues this order is necessary “to protect unemployed Americans from the threat of competition for scarce jobs from new lawful permanent residents”. Admitting these immigrants “poses a risk of displacing and disadvantaging United States workers during the current recovery”.