US President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a proclamation extending the suspension of issuance of work visas and green cards.
Trump imposed the measures in April and June to protect job opportunities for American workers amid a rise in unemployment due to the COVID -19 pandemic .
The proclamation came hours before the president ’ s executive order on the immigration restrictions was set to expire .
The order will now expire at the end of March , extending into the first term in office of President -elect Joe Biden , who has vowed to reverse Trump’ s immigration policies.
The proclamation said allowing immigrant workers into the country would “ pose a risk of displacing and disadvantaging US workers during the economic recovery following the COVID -19 outbreak ” .
“ The effects of COVID – 19 on the United States labour market and on the health of American communities is a matter of ongoing national concern .
“ And the considerations present in Proclamations 10014 and 10052 have not been eliminated, ” Trump wrote in the proclamation .
The president first imposed the restrictions on the issuance of green cards for immigrants in April and expanded it in June to limit several other work visas.
They include new H- 1B tech worker visas, H- 2B seasonal worker visas , certain J work and education exchange visitor visas and L executive transfer visas.
The proclamation said the recent surge in COVID -19 cases had surpassed previous highs in June .
This, in addition to the implementation of pandemic -related restrictions , has placed further strain on US businesses, it said .
“ The effect of recently approved vaccines and other treatments has not yet been fully realised for the US labour market.
“ While the November overall unemployment rate in the United States of 6. 7 per cent reflects a marked decline from its April high , there were still 9, 834, 000 fewer seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in November than in February of 2020, ” the proclamation added .
The order applies only to foreigners who are currently outside the US and do not yet have permission to enter .
Those who already have permanent residency are not affected, and there are exceptions for certain people , including spouses and children of US citizens.
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