Immigration was a core issue for Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign for the US Presidency. His stated aims were to fundamentally change the immigration system to protect US workers from foreign competition, defend against potential foreign threats to the US homeland and address perceived issues with assimilation of certain immigrant groups.
The clear message was that Trump would look for ways to make fundamental changes to scrutinize, restrict or limit immigration, whether it be for travel / tourism, study, work or permanent residence on a path to citizenship. Specific avenues used were executive orders and enforcement through executive branches of Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The H1-B Program is a popular 3-year renewable work visa program under Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) issued to foreigners with the offer of US employment, holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher in a specialty occupation with a threshold salary of $60,000.
Ravi Mahalingam, Partner and General Counsel, Avasant and Dev Batta, Associate General Counsel, Avasant, joined the webinar and discussed the Regulatory and Legislative changes, Travel Bans and Restrictions and the Impact on Tech Companies from changes in with the H1-B Program.