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Trump may target tech companies work-visa programs

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ANI New Jersey [USA]
Last Updated : Jan 31 2017 | 1:48 PM IST

U.S. President Donald Trump's next immigration policy-related focus is likely to be on work-visa programs that tech companies rely on to hire tens of thousands of workers every year.

According to a Bloomberg report, the executive order is still in draft form, but if enacted, it could mean major overhauls in the way tech giants like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon recruit their employees.

As per the order, the companies will have to prioritize the hiring American workers and if they hire foreign workers, then, they must prioritize the most highly compensated.

"Our country's immigration policies should be designed and implemented to serve, first and foremost U.S. national interests," the draft states.

"Visa programs for foreign workers . should be administered in a manner that protects the civil rights of American workers and current lawful residents, and that prioritizes the protection of American workers - our forgotten working people - and the jobs they hold," the draft adds.

Trump's order affects a number of visa programs, including H-1B, L-1, E-2, and B1. H-1B visas are commonly used by the tech companies to recruit high-skilled workers from overseas when they can't find domestic talent to fill positions.

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The new administration's proposed order would also create more transparency around visa programs by publishing statistics on who uses the programs within a month of the federal government's fiscal year.

Trump's original executive order banned immigration from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. Over the weekend, a number of tech companies, startups, and others in the industry voiced support for the American Civil Liberties Union and joined in the protests at New York and San Francisco airports in a show of solidarity with the United States' immigrant community.

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First Published: Jan 31 2017 | 1:18 PM IST

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