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The US State Department has quietly implemented recommendations of a presidential commission which has suggested steps like opening up American diplomatic missions outside India for visa appointments to reduce the visa backlog in the country. India was one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted. Moved by a commission member, Ajay Jain Bhutoria from Silicon Valley, the presidential commission observed that inordinate visa appointment delays were causing huge problems for the students and visitors who have plans to come to study in the US and visit the country. The State Department should allow virtual interviews where applicable and allow staff from embassies around the world and the US consular staff to help conduct the virtual interviews at embassies with high backlogs and help clear them, the commission recommended. The recommendations included opening up American diplomatic missions outside India for visa appointments, having more counters and deploying additional resources to process visa applications. The <keyword id="50596" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-embassy" source="Orion">US Embassy</keyword> in India processed over 1 lakh applications just in January 2023, their highest total in a single month and the highest in any month since July 2019. In its December meeting, the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders recommended several steps to reduce the growing delay in visa appointment times in India and other countries like Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. It recommended the State Department hire new Full-Time officers/consular or Temporary Staff or contractors or bring back retired consular officers to clear the backlog at Embassies in Asia which have wait times of 400 or more days and shrink the wait time to 2-4 weeks be clearing the visa application backlog. The State Department could also use staff from other embassies around the world to help clear the backlog in countries in Asia which have huge backlogs and delays in visa appointments, it had recommended. The advisory committee noted that in 2012 President Barack Obama issued a memo to reduce the wait time from several months to a few days and this memo streamlined the visa process. The Trump administration had rescinded the President Obama memo, and this is also contributing as one of the factors in causing delays for Visa appointments, it said. As such, it recommended that President Joe Biden should consider issuing a memo to the State Department to shrink the visa appointment wait times to 2-4 weeks maximum for countries with significant backlogs including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other countries in a similar situation. There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first-time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories. The waiting period for first-time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to three years in October last year. In January, the State Department not only implemented remote processing of interview waiver cases for applicants with previous US visas but also launched several initiatives, including scheduling special interviews for first-time applicants and increasing the strength of consular staff. It also conducted "special Saturday interview days" on January 21. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-unleashes-ai-powered-updates-to-revamp-user-experience-on-maps-search-and-translate/articleshow/97761551.cms">Google unleashes AI-powered updates to revamp user experience on Maps, Search and Translate</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/now-find-ev-charging-stations-in-google-maps-near-you/articleshow/97759525.cms">Now find EV charging stations in Google Maps near you</a>

US State Department implements several recommendations of presidential commission to reduce visa backlog in India

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Wisp, an online pharmacy, said sales of birth control surged after Donald Trump's election win.</li><li>Wisp's CEO told BI that women were "taking action" amid future uncertainty.</li></ul>Wisp, an online pharmacy focused on sexual and reproductive health, says sales of birth control and emergency contraception have surged in the United States in the last week.The company says that's because <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/abortion-pill-women-stockpile-mifepristone-trump-presidency-experts-2024-4">women are stockpiling reproductive healthcare</a> products now that Donald Trump is headed back to the White House.Wisp, which serves over 1.2 million patients nationwide, reported a 1,000% increase in emergency contraception purchases from November 5 to November 6. Wisp CEO Monica Cepak told Business Insider that women are "taking action as they navigate the uncertainty of these next few years.""This data indicates to us that women are really scared and are using this moment in time to take back agency over their reproductive rights by stockpiling things like emergency contraception and investing in preventive reproductive health," Cepak said.In his first term, Trump put three conservative justices on the Supreme Court, which then <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-abortion-decision-final-ruling-scotus-roe-v-wade-2022-6">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>. The decision undid nationwide abortion protections and allowed 13 states to pass laws that effectively banned abortion.Earlier this year, Trump took credit for ending the decadeslong precedent of legalized abortion nationwide. "I did it, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-abortion-roe-v-wade-supreme-court-gop-primary-2024-1">I'm proud to have done it</a>," he said. "Nobody else was going to get that done but me, and we did it, and we did something that was a miracle."In the 24 hours after Election Day, Wisp said it saw a 1,650% increase in new patients purchasing emergency contraception. There was a 600% increase in medication abortion sales and a 50% increase in birth control sales.Overall, Wisp's reproductive health sales (of emergency contraception, birth control, and medication abortion products) doubled compared to the week prior to the election, the company told Business Insider."We expect that momentum to sustain over the next few weeks and months," Cepak said.The purchases came from women in both anti-abortion states as well as states with widespread access to reproductive healthcare. Emergency contraception purchases surged in Texas, Indiana, and Oklahoma, where there are strict restrictions, but sales also increased in states like California and New York."Despite being states where reproductive rights are fully protected, we're seeing women take precautionary measures as the future remains uncertain," Wisp said in a statement.Amy Hagstrom Miller, the founder of Whole Woman's Health, which operates abortion clinics in multiple states, said her organization is also seeing a surge in demand for contraceptive and abortion medication."We are seeing an increased demand for emergency contraception, long-acting contraception, advanced provision of medication abortion, and we are seeing online telemed provision of these things, which I think has really reached a lot of people in states where abortion is banned," Hagstrom Miller said.The Democrats saw the abortion issue as a strength after performing well in the<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/midterms-2022-pro-choice-votes-helped-democrats-defy-election-blues-2022-11"> 2022 midterms</a>. As a result, the Trump campaign <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/abortion-pill-women-stockpile-mifepristone-trump-presidency-experts-2024-4">worked to distance itself</a> from the issue during the presidential election. In March, he floated a national ban at about 16 weeks of gestation. A month later, he said he wouldn't sign a national abortion ban.At a press panel on Thursday for Abortion Access Now, a national coalition advocating for abortion rights, representatives from different reproductive rights organizations reflected on the election results and the path forward."Trump ran from his record and lied about his position on abortion. Even Trump knows how unpopular abortion bans are," Kimberly Inez McGuire, the executive director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive &amp; Gender Equity, said at the panel. "We know that people in this country bristle at the thought of politicians interfering with abortion decisions."On <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-results-trump-harris-presidential-election-2024-11">Election Day</a>, voters turned out in favor of abortion rights in 7 out of 10 states that had it on the ballot."Abortion was on the ballot, abortion won, but the election and the results, particularly for the White House, make it really clear that the path for reproductive freedom will continue to be a long one," Mini Timmaraju, the president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, said at the panel. "It won't be won or lost in a single election."

Online sales of Plan B and birth control are surging after Trump's election, retailer says

<ul><li>The Trump administration has rolled out new H-1B visa rules less than a month before the US Presidential election. </li><li>This time the minimum wage requirements have been bumped up, and the eligibility criteria has been tightened along with some other changes. </li><li>Lawyers and experts believe that since the order didn’t follow the normal regulatory process, it’s likely to face a fierce challenge in court. </li></ul>The Trump administration has moved to make significant changes to Silicon Valley’s converted H-1B visa. The rules proposed by the US President will make it more expensive to hire employees from outside the country, tighten the eligibility criteria for visas, and plug up some of the other ‘loopholes.’ However, they may not stick around for very long. For Indian IT companies — like TCS, Infosys, HCL Technologies, and Wipro — this may <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-hcl-tech-dont-want-h1b-ban-but-are-pocketing-savings-while-it-lasts/articleshow/77120776.cms">not be a very big deal in the short run</a> since they have already been localising their workforce and trying to cut down on visa requirements. However, in the long run, this could bode darker tidings. On the other hand, tech giants within the US, like Google, Apple, Facebook and others, depend on the H-1B visa to hire tens of thousands of employees each year, not just from India, but also other countries where the cost of labour is cheaper. Critics believe that the changes are more political in nature, coming just ahead of the 2020 US Presidential election in November. Regardless of the motivation, lawyers and experts assert that the new rules are likely to be challenged in court since they bypassed the normal regulatory process. Department of <keyword id="123836" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Homeland-security">Homeland Security</keyword> acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli estimates that a third of applicants would be denied under the new rules. What are the new changes to H-1B visa rules? The new rules significantly raise the existing wage levels of H-1B employees. There are four wage levels, and the minimum amount for each has been bumped up — in certain cases, to more than double than what it used to be. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Wage level </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Earlier wage percentile </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">New wage percentile </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">17 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">45 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">34 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">62 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">50 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">78 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">67 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">95 </td></tr></tbody></table> The definition of ‘speciality occupation’ has also been narrowed down. Only certain types of degrees will now qualify a candidate for a visa. Select contract workers will also have a shorter time limit on their visas. More monitoring is also on the cards with the new rules enhancing the government’s ability to enforce compliance with worksite inspections, before and after an H-1B petition is approved. “With millions of Americans looking for work, and as the economy continues its recovery, immediate action is needed to guard against the risk lower-cost foreign labor can pose to the well-being of U.S. workers,” Patrick Pizzella, the deputy secretary of labor, told reporters on Tuesday. Trump has already been overruled once before The change to the H-1B visa ruels comes after a federal judge ruled that <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> had overstepped his authority in June when he issued an order suspending H-1B visas, H-2B visas, L-1 visas, and J-1 visas till December 2020. This time the new rules augment the play book for two departments — Homeland Security and the <keyword id="57432" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Labour-department">Labour Department</keyword>. According to immigration law firm Berry Appleman &amp; Leiden, Homeland Security and the Labor Department are expected to publish the new rules in the federal register in “coming days.” However, the firm expects the matter to end up in court. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/malware-infiltrates-the-defenses-of-common-antivirus-softwares-like-mcafee-kaspersky-symantec-and-others/articleshow/78515377.cms">Malware infiltrates the defenses of common antivirus softwares like McAfee, Kaspersky, Symantec and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/andrea-ghez-is-the-fourth-woman-to-win-the-nobel-prize-for-physics/articleshow/78514164.cms">Andrea Ghez is the fourth woman to win the Nobel Prize for Physics — found the first signs of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-expected-to-post-higher-revenue-and-margins-led-by-a-streak-of-deal-wins-over-the-last-three-months/articleshow/78511834.cms">TCS expected to post higher revenue and margins led by a streak of deal wins over the last three months</a>

New H-1B visa rules make it more expensive and harder to hire workers from India — but they may not hold ground

US President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> has defended his decision to suspend issuing of <keyword id="407619" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="green-cards">green cards</keyword> till the end of the year, saying it was needed to give jobs to Americans. Through an executive order, Trump, in April, had suspended issuing of green cards for 90 days. On Monday, he issued a proclamation which extended the suspension till December 31, 2020. "So, we want to give jobs to Americans right now. Right now, we want jobs going to Americans," Trump told reporters in San Luis, Arizona on Tuesday when asked by reporters to explain the suspension order. Trump, seeking another term in the White House in the November 3 presidential election, on Monday said the step was essential to help millions of Americans who have lost their jobs due to the economic crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump said that the overall unemployment rate in the country nearly quadrupled between February and May of 2020 -- producing some of the most extreme unemployment rates ever recorded by the <keyword id="393980" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bureau-of-Labor-Statistics">Bureau of Labor Statistics</keyword>. While the rate of 13.3 per cent unemployment in May reflects a marked decline from April, millions of Americans remain out of work. With the current suspension in effect, the wait time for Indian technology professionals to get legal permanent residency in the US is now running into decades. The US every year allocates only 1,40,000 green cards for all employment-preference immigrants, including accompanying family members. Currently, there is a backlog of almost 10 lakh foreign nationals and accompanying family members lawfully residing in the United States. These applicants have been approved but are yet to receive employment green cards. The backlog is projected to increase each year because the number of foreign workers who self-sponsor or are sponsored by their US employers for green cards each year exceeds the annual allocation. In addition to this numerical limit, there is a statutory seven per cent per-country ceiling applied to each preference category, which prevents the monopolisation of employment-based green cards by foreign nationals from a single country. "This per-country ceiling has created decades-long waits for nationals from large migrant-sending countries such as India and China," a latest Congressional report said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/sundar-pichai-satya-nadella-indra-nooyi-and-even-melania-trump-entered-the-us-on-the-same-h-1b-visa-that-donald-trump-is-suspending/articleshow/76531744.cms">Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Indra Nooyi and even Melania Trump entered the US on the same H-1B visa that Donald Trump's suspending</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/googles-sundar-pichai-facebook-and-amazon-heres-how-american-companies-reacted-to-donald-trumps-h1-b-visa-freeze/articleshow/76522530.cms">Google’s Sundar Pichai, Facebook and Amazon — here’s how American companies reacted to Donald Trump’s H1-B visa freeze</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/us-president-donald-trump-to-suspend-h1b-visas-will-not-affect-those-already-in-the-states/articleshow/76492270.cms">US President Donald Trump to suspend H1B visas, will not affect those already in the states</a>

'We want to give jobs to Americans' — Trump defends suspending issuance of new green cards

Indian-origin US Senator <keyword id="180909" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kamala-Harris">Kamala Harris</keyword> is in favour of lifting the existing per-country caps for employment based green cards, her presidential campaign has said, asserting that 95 per cent in line for legal permanent residency are primarily from China, India, the Philippines and <keyword id="13486" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vietnam">Vietnam</keyword>. Harris' presidential campaign, which started early this year, in recent weeks is not doing well and has been polling low among more than a dozen and half Democratic presidential aspirants. On Tuesday, she reached out to over 24 million Asian Americans, <keyword id="6841557" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Native-Hawaiians">Native Hawaiians</keyword>, and Pacific Islanders in the US and collectively called the Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) community, which is the fastest growing demographic group in the country. A plan of action for Asian Pacific Islanders Americans released by her presidential campaign said the current policies like per-country caps for employment-based green cards effectively penalise immigrants for their country of origin. The vast and growing employment-based visa backlog has an outsized impact on the APIA community, it said. As of 2018, 95 per cent of the over 825,000 individuals in line for the chance to apply for their green cards come from Asia - China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam, it said. At the same time, demand for immigrant workers shows no signs of abating. For six consecutive years, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received so many petitions that it has hit the annual cap for H-1B visas (for high-skilled workers) within five business days of opening the filing period, her campaign said. "Kamala believes we must do more to eliminate discriminatory backlogs and protect immigrant workers so they can stay in our country and continue to contribute to the economy," said her campaign. That's why she'll push overdue reforms to visa programs, including for high-skilled and low-skilled workers, to streamline the immigrant labour force and stimulate entrepreneurship, it added. "Her Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, for example, would lift existing per-country caps for employment-based green cards and also raise per-country caps for family-sponsored green cards from seven percent to 15 per cent," said her Campaign. "As a member of the APIA community, Kamala understands firsthand the unique and wide-ranging concerns facing the rich tapestry of ethnicities, languages, and cultures that form this diverse community. Kamala knows our country is stronger for this diversity and will fight for equal opportunity, access to justice, and human rights for all API Americans," the campaign said in its policy paper. "As president, Harris will clear the family visa backlog as part of her plan for a fair and just immigration system," the campaign said. Most of the immigration backlogs are for family-sponsored applicants (314,000 from the Philippines, 299,000 from India, 232,000 each from Vietnam and China); more than 40 per cent of individuals stuck in the family visa backlog or approximately 1.5 million people are from Asia, it noted. If elected, Harris will immediately reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme and expand DACA by eliminating the requirement that DREAMers apply before they turn 31 years old, raising the age at time of entry from 15 years old and under to 17 years old and under. "She'll protect the parents of US citizens and legal permanent residents from the prospect of deportation by expanding the deferred action programme. She'll also extend deferred action eligibility to other law-abiding immigrants with ties to our communities," it said. Harris as president would immediately rescind Muslim ban, public charge rule and the proclamation denying immigrants a visa unless they have "approved health insurance" or can prove they have "the financial resources to pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs", it said.

Senator Kamala Harris bats for lifting caps on green cards

By Lalit K Jha Washington, May 8 () Top Republican senators urged US President Donald Trump on Thursday to suspend all new guest worker visas for 60 days and certain categories of new guest worker visas, including H-1B, for at least a year or until unemployment figures return to normal levels.The unemployment figures in the US have reached an all-time high due to the coronavirus pandemic. The letter has been signed by Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Chuck Grassley and Josh Hawley."As you know, more than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment coverage just since mid-March, and approximately one-fifth of the American workforce is currently out of work. This is a stunning difference compared with the historically-low nationwide unemployment rate of just 3.5 per cent in February this year," they said in their letter to the president.The letter, dated May 7, specifically calls for suspension of all non-immigrant guest worker visas for the next 60 days, followed by a continued suspension of certain categories of new non-immigrant guest worker visas for a year or until the national unemployment figures return to normal levels."To protect unemployed Americans in the early stages of economic recovery, we urge you to suspend all non-immigrant guest worker visas for the next 60 days," the senators said.Exceptions to this suspension should be rare, limited to time-sensitive industries such as agriculture and issued only on a case-by-case basis, when the employers can demonstrate that they have been unable to find Americans to take the jobs, the senators wrote.After 60 days, the senators urged Trump to continue to suspend new non-immigrant guest workers for a year or until the national unemployment figures return to normal levels, whichever comes first."That suspension should, at a minimum, include H-2B visas (non-agricultural seasonal workers), H-1B visas (specialty occupation workers) and the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program (extension of foreign student visas after graduation). We also urge you to suspend the EB-5 immigrant visa program, effective immediately," the lawmakers wrote.The H-1B work visa for foreign technology professionals is highly popular among Indians and a large number of Indians also opt for the EB-5 investors visa.The senators argued that there is no reason why unemployed Americans and recent college graduates should have to compete in such a limited job market against an influx of additional H-1B workers, most of whom work in business, technology or STEM fields."Temporarily suspending the issuance of new H-1B visas would also protect the hundreds of thousands of H-1B workers and their families already working in the United States -- workers who could otherwise be subject to deportation if they are laid off for more than 60 days," they said."Of course, appropriate exceptions could also be crafted to the H-1B program suspension to allow for doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who wish to come to the United States to assist in combating the coronavirus pandemic," the senators wrote.Additionally, the United States ought to suspend its Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows foreign students in the country to extend their stay after graduation for one to three years to get "experience in the field" by taking jobs here, they wrote.In 2019, more than 223,000 former foreign students had their OPT applications approved or extended. While the merits of such a programme are subject to debate, there is certainly no reason to allow foreign students to stay for three additional years just to take jobs that would otherwise go to unemployed Americans as the country's economy recovers, the lawmakers said.The senators also urged Trump to remove the EB-5 visa from the exemptions in his Presidential Proclamation issued on April 22, at least until real reforms are adopted.The EB-5 programme has long been plagued by scandal and fraud, and criticised as effectively functioning as a pay-for-citizenship scheme in many cases. There is no reason that the programme should receive preferential treatment as opposed to other green card programmes for employment-based immigrants, the lawmakers said. LKJ RC

Senators urge Trump to temporarily suspend H-1B, other guest workers visas

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China is pivoting to new growth drivers in solar cells, electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries.</li><li>This could create a "China shock 2.0" that impacts other economies around the world.</li></ul>China's economy is undergoing a painful transition as Beijing tries to steer it out of a COVID slump and a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/evergrande-ordered-liquidate-china-real-estate-property-crisis-winners-assets-2024-1">real-estate debt crisis</a>.The administration of China's leader, Xi Jinping, is championing what it calls the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202308/content_6897581.htm">"new three" industries</a> of solar cells, electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries to drive its economy.It's already manufacturing and exporting these goods aggressively.In particular, China's manufacturers are pumping out so <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-flood-solar-panel-cell-market-garden-fence-overcapacity-yellen-2024-4">many solar panels</a> that the resulting global glut and price crash are prompting people to line their garden fences with the once-prized product.This is just one of the industries the world is bracing for in the next phase of the "China shock."<h2>What happened in China shock 1.0?</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w21906">China shock</a> was a term coined by David H. Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson in a 2016 paper about the country's economic rise and its impact on the world's trade and labor markets.Once mired in poverty, Communist China started its economic reforms in 1978 when it opened up its economy and allowed for more private enterprise.The country's growth was breakneck, with <a target="_blank" href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=CN">GDP</a> growing more than 80 times since then.That growth was driven by rapid <a target="_blank" href="https://think.ing.com/articles/china-economy-not-in-a-great-decline-but-in-a-great-transition/">industrialization</a>, which propelled China into the position of the world's factory. Its massive manufacturing sector churned out millions of products that it exported at low cost.The world welcomed China into its fold, heralding an age of globalization that companies from the US and elsewhere profited from. At the time, policymakers were of the view that the East Asian giant would become more open economically and politically as a result of this integration.Consumers, too, benefited from low inflation.But this trend came at a huge cost for communities in the US and elsewhere that were dependent on manufacturing. Swathes of workers lost their jobs to China.This is the "China shock."<h2>How Beijing could be creating China shock 2.0</h2>Now, China is targeting three new strategic industries that the rest of the world is also eyeing.This time, though, Western countries aren't letting Beijing get its way so easily — especially since China is aiming to develop its own supply-chain ecosystem in these areas."The advanced economies are facing the combined impact of China's moderating medium-term GDP growth on global demand as well as competition from China's new wave of industrialization," Rajiv Biswas, an international economist who's the author of "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?amazonTrackingID=biauto-63563-20&amp;h=2252c62746e53e506c655ce3df395bcea3ecbee5e1b11653f5e13361d3be9338&amp;postID=660dfd9b65b11e73d15b2af8&amp;postSlug=china-shock-explainer-us-economy-trade-dumping-supply-glut-yellen-2024-4&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAsian-Megatrends-Rajiv-Biswas%2Fdp%2F1137441887">Asian Megatrends</a>," told Business Insider.This development doesn't stem only from China's push into manufacturing the end products in the fields of EVs, lithium-ion batteries, and solar cells. The country is also developing global supply chains for critical raw materials, such as rare earths, that are set to supply these industries."Consequently, the industrial economies of the OECD nations are facing new economic challenges from China's strategic competition in these key growth industries," Biswas said.Such competition is even keener now because of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-markets-deflation-chart-investors-consumer-prices-outlook-beijing-2024-3">deflation in China</a> — which has become the only major economy in the world dealing with negative consumer prices.China's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-growth-outlook-global-gdp-share-stagnation-mao-zedong-2023-11">slowing economic growth</a> also means it's not buying as much from other countries, ratcheting up trade tensions.Last year, China's imports of goods from the rest of the world fell by 5.5% from a year ago, <a target="_blank" href="http://english.customs.gov.cn/Statics/2d0a4bd1-88cf-44f1-9553-c924ed80ad39.html">official data</a> shows.<h2>What are the US and the rest of the world doing about China shock 2.0?</h2>The world isn't going to be caught flat-footed by China's emerging dominance in hot new industries this time."It is likely that strategic competition between the US, European Union, and China will continue in the long-term in areas of advanced manufacturing technologies," Biswas said.Many companies are already <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-trade-war-covid-companies-moving-supply-chains-2022-12">diversifying supply chains</a> away from China for a range of products.The US is taking steps to boost chip manufacturing at home. The <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chips-act-bill-to-boost-us-chipmaking-competition-with-china-2022-7">CHIPS Act</a> provides $52 billion in subsidies for production, research, and workforce development. The US <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gsam.com/content/gsam/sgp/en/advisors/market-insights/gsam-insights/perspectives/2023/us-inflation-reduction-act-is-driving-clean-energy-investment-one-year-in.html">Inflation Reduction Act</a> is also boosting investment in clean energy.On Tuesday, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/doe-invests-75-million-strengthen-nations-critical-minerals-supply-chain">Department of Energy</a> announced a $75 million investment to develop a research facility to strengthen the domestic supply chains of critical minerals.US Treasury Secretary <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2218">Janet Yellen</a> is meanwhile in China for meetings with top Chinese officials. The Treasury said in a press release announcing her visit that she would be "pressing Chinese counterparts on unfair trade practices and underscoring the global economic consequences of Chinese industrial overcapacity."At a Suniva solar-cell plant in Georgia on March 27, <a target="_blank" href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2214">Yellen said</a> she was "concerned about global spillovers from the excess capacity that we are seeing in China" that have now hit new energy industries such as solar, electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries.The EU, too, is taking steps to protect its domestic manufacturing in emerging key industries.In October, the <a target="_blank" href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_4752">European Commission</a> launched a probe into whether EV imports from China benefited from illegal subsidization that, in turn, threatens to damage the EU's EV manufacturers. If this is found to be true, the EU could impose tariffs on these imports. The EU investigation is ongoing.The EU has also established the <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-chips-act">European Chips Act</a> to boost domestic chip production.After all, it's once bitten, twice shy."People like me grew up with the view: If people send you cheap goods, you should send a thank-you note. That's what standard economics basically says," Yellen told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/janet-yellen-missed-the-first-china-shock-can-she-stop-the-second-b27d28e5">The Wall Street Journal</a> in an interview published Wednesday. "I would never ever again say, 'Send a thank-you note.'"<h2>What is China's response to the West's moves?</h2>China is framing the US response as a move to contain its growth."The US side has adopted a string of measures to suppress China's trade and technology development," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202404/t20240403_11276221.html">Wang Wenbin</a>, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a regular press conference on Wednesday."This is not 'de-risking,' but creating risks. These are typical non-market practices," Wang added.He also said China's exports of EVs, lithium-ion batteries, and solar cells had risen because of the "international division of labor and market demand" thanks to the global energy transition to more sustainable energy sources.Biswas, the economist, said China was also de-risking by increasingly trading with Southeast Asia, where there's a burgeoning middle class. He said other large developing markets China was targeting included Africa and Latin America.Last year, China exported more goods to Southeast Asia than to the US for the first time ever, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-01-15/supply-chain-latest-how-china-s-exports-are-shifting-away-from-the-us">Bloomberg analysis</a> of Chinese customs data published in January — signaling a change in global trade flows amid the changing geopolitical landscape.Nomura economists wrote in a note on March 15 that the campaign season for the US presidential election this year was likely to heat up some trade issues.They said: "We reckon China's export price deflation and overcapacity in a number of strategically important sectors might cause trade tensions to escalate later this year, and possibly beyond."

The world is scarred from China shock 1.0. They're not about to let 2.0 happen so easily.

By Lalit K Jha Washington, May 8 () Four top Republican senators have urged US President Donald Trump to suspend all new guest worker visas for 60 days and some of its categories, including the H-1B visa, for at least the next year or until unemployment figures return to normal levels in the country.The unemployment figures in the US have reached an all-time high due to the coronavirus pandemic. The letter has been signed by Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Chuck Grassley and Josh Hawley."As you know, more than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment coverage just since mid-March, and approximately one-fifth of the American workforce is currently out of work. This is a stunning difference compared with the historically-low nationwide unemployment rate of just 3.5 per cent in February this year," they said in their letter to the president on Thursday.The letter, dated May 7, specifically calls for suspension of all non-immigrant guest worker visas for the next 60 days, followed by a continued suspension of certain categories of new non-immigrant guest worker visas for a year or until the national unemployment figures return to normal levels."To protect unemployed Americans in the early stages of economic recovery, we urge you to suspend all non-immigrant guest worker visas for the next 60 days," the senators said.Exceptions to this suspension should be rare, limited to time-sensitive industries such as agriculture and issued only on a case-by-case basis, when the employers can demonstrate that they have been unable to find Americans to take the jobs, the senators wrote.After 60 days, the senators urged Trump to continue to suspend new non-immigrant guest workers for a year or until the national unemployment figures return to normal levels, whichever comes first."That suspension should, at a minimum, include H-2B visas (non-agricultural seasonal workers), H-1B visas (specialty occupation workers) and the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program (extension of foreign student visas after graduation). We also urge you to suspend the EB-5 immigrant visa program, effective immediately," the lawmakers wrote.The H-1B work visa for foreign technology professionals is highly popular among Indians and a large number of Indians also opt for the EB-5 investors visa.The senators argued that there is no reason why unemployed Americans and recent college graduates should have to compete in such a limited job market against an influx of additional H-1B workers, most of whom work in business, technology or STEM fields."Temporarily suspending the issuance of new H-1B visas would also protect the hundreds of thousands of H-1B workers and their families already working in the United States -- workers who could otherwise be subject to deportation if they are laid off for more than 60 days," they said."Of course, appropriate exceptions could also be crafted to the H-1B program suspension to allow for doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who wish to come to the United States to assist in combating the coronavirus pandemic," the senators wrote.Additionally, the United States ought to suspend its Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows foreign students in the country to extend their stay after graduation for one to three years to get "experience in the field" by taking jobs here, they wrote.In 2019, more than 223,000 former foreign students had their OPT applications approved or extended. While the merits of such a programme are subject to debate, there is certainly no reason to allow foreign students to stay for three additional years just to take jobs that would otherwise go to unemployed Americans as the country's economy recovers, the lawmakers said.The senators also urged Trump to remove the EB-5 visa from the exemptions in his Presidential Proclamation issued on April 22, at least until real reforms are adopted.The EB-5 programme has long been plagued by scandal and fraud, and criticised as effectively functioning as a pay-for-citizenship scheme in many cases. There is no reason that the programme should receive preferential treatment as opposed to other green card programmes for employment-based immigrants, the lawmakers said. LKJ RC RS

Top Senators urge Trump to temporarily suspend all new guest worker visas, including H-1B

The US will start taking <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=H1B+visa">H-1B applications</a> from April 1, a move that may or may not be liked by US presidential front runner <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=donald+trump">Donald Trump</a>. 
 
The process is as usual and there is no amendment in the congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 on H-1B visas for FY 2017, beginning October 1. 
 
In a statement, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=US+Citizenship+and+Immigration+Services+">US Citizenship and Immigration Services</a> (USCIS) said this year it expects to receive more than 65,000 petitions during the first five business days of this year's program. 
 
The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with a US Master's degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap. 
 
"If USCIS receives an excess of petitions during the first five business days, the agency will use a computer-generated lottery system to randomly select the number of petitions required to meet the cap," the official statement said. 
 
Trump has often criticised the H1-B visa programme, saying it is snatching jobs away from the Americans. He has even vowed to get jobs back from Indians and Chinese, in one his speeches. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Donald-Trump-accuses-India-China-of-snatching-jobs-from-Americans-creates-controversy-yet-again/articleshow/51092398.cms">Donald Trump accuses India, China of snatching jobs from Americans</a>

Whether Trump likes it or not, US will begin accepting H1B work visa applications from April 1

Republican presidential candidate <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> has said that Indians studying in America should not be kicked out of America because the country requires smart people like them. 
 
"Whether we like that or not, they pay, et cetera, et cetera but we educate a lot of people, very smart people. We need those people in the country," Trump told Fox News. 
 
"They cannot come into the country. You know, they go to Harvard, they are first in their class and they're from India they go back to India and they setup companies and they make a fortune and they employ lots of people and all of that," he added. 
 
"Many people want to stay in this country and then want to do that. I think somebody that goes through years of college in this country we shouldn't kick them out the day they graduate, which we do," Trump said, thus clarifying his position on certain aspect of H-1B visas. 
 
When it comes to the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US, Trump has been widely accused that he either wants everything or nothing. Regarding this, he has been saying that the H-1B visa programme should be scrapped, as it is "very unfair" for American workers who are losing their jobs. 
 
The H-1B visa allows IT professionals from India and major Indian IT companies to be temporarily allowed with US companies. 
 
<a href="http://cdn.patch.com/users/22859473/2016/02/T800x600/20160256afd465cedb2.jpg">Image source</a>

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The world is scarred from China shock 1.0. They're not about to let 2.0 happen so easily.

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