Individuals from seven countries will not be able to travel to the United States starting Thursday, according to updated CBP guidance obtained by ABC News.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed executive orders limiting travel from Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria — with those restrictions now going into effect Jan. 1.
This applies to both immigrants and nonimmigrants, according to the CBO document dated Dec. 29.
The White House says the restrictions are for national security and public safety reasons, while immigrant advocates say the ban targets African and Muslim countries.
The travel ban continues restrictions on those from Afghanistan; Burma (Myanmar); Chad; Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Haiti; Iran; Libya; Somalia; Sudan; Yemen from entering into the United States.
There are also partial travel restrictions on people from Venezuela and Cuba, according to the document.
It comes amid new restrictions on H1-B visas taking effect earlier this week.
The H-1B visa program allows employers to hire noncitizens that have a specialized skill or trade and was previously done somewhat randomly.
The changes the administration made, which went into effect on Monday, allow for a weighted system to prioritize individuals that would make a higher wage.
“The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser.
“The new weighted selection will better serve Congress’ intent for the H-1B program and strengthen America’s competitiveness by incentivizing American employers to petition for higher-paid, higher-skilled foreign workers,” Tragesser said. “With these regulatory changes and others in the future, we will continue to update the H-1B program to help American businesses without allowing the abuse that was harming American workers.”
Rosanna Beradi, an immigration attorney, said the change will limit those who qualify.
“The change will severely limit the number of applicants who qualify under the H-1B program,” she told ABC News. “It will make it even harder for international students to remain in the U.S. after graduation, which will exacerbate the brain drain. The new rule effectively eliminates the lottery system and prioritizes high wage earners.”
There’s 85,000 total H1-B visa applications, according to USCIS.
It comes as the administration has prioritized tightening visa restrictions for other countries.
ABC News: Top Stories
Read the full article .
