US to suspend fast processing of H-1B visas for high-skilled workers

Tech

We’re still waiting for President Trump to weigh in definitively on the ongoing H-1B visa reform debate, but his administration just introduced a new change to the system that may be seen as hostile to the tech industry. In a press released posted this evening to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, the Trump administration said it was instituting a temporary suspension of what is known as premium processing for H-1B visa petitions. The change is slated to take effect on April 3rd, 2017 for all H-1B petitions, and it may last up to six months.

For Silicon Valley companies, many of which employ large numbers of H-1B holders, this move could signal that waiting times for approval may get much longer. Under the…

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