Donald Trump’s H-1B visa ban queers pitch further

President Donald Trump’s executive decree preventing US federal agencies from contracting or subcontracting foreign workers is the latest and harshest in the series of steps he has taken in the past few months to tighten the country’s labour and immigration policies. The ban is for an indefinite period and is specifically aimed at the H-1B visa which, according to him, poses a serious threat to job security and opportunities of US citizens. Last month, the administration had suspended till the end of the year the issuance of H-1B visas and other types of work visas. H-1B, a non-immigrant visa, allows US companies to hire foreign professionals, mainly in IT but in other areas also, every year from countries like India and China. Indian technology workers corner the most H-1B visas granted every year.

Most Indian IT and ITES companies have extensive business in the US, including US government contractors or subcontractors. Their operations had already been curtailed due to the bad Covid-19 situation in both countries. The new order has come as a further blow to many of them. It could also affect the economic relations between the two countries, especially at a time when a bilateral trade deal is being negotiated. Unexpected and arbitrary executive actions like the H-1B ban would be violative of the rules of the regime to be put in place by the trade deal. One aim of trade agreements between countries is to ensure that normal economic and commercial relations are not affected by political and other external factors. They are also intended to eliminate the room for unilateral actions and whimsical personal decisions by leaders. Though Trump’s action is not solely directed against Indian companies or individuals, India will have to factor in the damage such decisions can do to trade relations even within the framework of a bilateral deal.

The order will also hurt the US economy because it is well-known that there are not enough skilled personnel in the US who can take up the jobs being denied to foreign professionals. The US economy has been affected badly by Covid-19. When the economic situation is worsening and unemployment is ruling high, Trump’s unwise actions can only add to the crisis. He is increasingly resorting to anti-immigrant political posturing and emotive rhetoric of the ‘America First’ kind in the run-up to the presidential elections. This is in the hope that such policies and decisions will appeal to his core constituency and will expand the support base to others who have suffered due to the economic downturn. More of the same may be expected in the coming weeks.