Washington, DC – The US State Department on Monday (April 24) confirmed an ongoing “full review” of the H-1B program and said there were no immediate changes to the present visa holders nor for the applicants.
According to a State Department official on background to IAT, “There are no immediate changes to visa application and issuance procedures.” The official said, “President Trump’s Executive Order directs the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to propose reforms to the H-1B visa program for employers seeking to hire nonimmigrant aliens who come temporarily to the United States.”
The official noted that the State Department would “work closely with our colleagues at the Departments of Justice, Labor, and Homeland Security to undertake a full review of the H-1B program and suggest appropriate reforms as directed under the Executive Order.”
Stressing that the State Department was “not going to prejudge the outcome of this review,” the official said, “If there are changes to the program in the future, we will announce them.”
Earlier, Mark Toner, the Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department told journalists at the daily briefing that the State Department is responsible for issuing any visa that is even decided by other departments, such as the H-1B visas. Toner added, “With respect to the H1B visas, I don’t have any new information to share.”
Toner, however, stressed that the US wanted, “to see US-India business-to-business ties remain strong,” adding, “We greatly value Indian companies’ continued investment in the US economy, which also, of course, supports thousands of US jobs.”
Tejinder Singh
Tejinder Singh was the Founder and Editor of India America Today, and is the inspiration for Global Strat View.
