US Suspends 'Expedited' H-1B Visas (sfgate.com)

"Starting April 3, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions," read Friday's announcement, which says the suspension "may last up to 6 months." Slashdot reader elrous0 sees it as part of the "ongoing efforts to curb abuses in the controversial H-1B program." The San Francisco Chronicle reports: While it could be difficult to divorce the move Friday from the Trump administration's broader immigration crackdown, some experts believed the agency's decision to be apolitical. "It has everything to do with an understaffed, overworked, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services," said Jason Finkelman, an Austin, Texas, immigration attorney, adding that the wait time for an H-1B visa in California is currently about eight months. However, Vivek Wadhwa, an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Silicon Valley campus in NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, said the suspension seems like a message from the government that you "can't buy your way into America."
Whatever the motivation, Engadget believes this will impact large tech companies. "Financial Times quotes a lawyer saying that 'close to 100 percent' of applications from companies like Microsoft utilize the option."

Comments

Re: Well, that's one thing

[Anonymous Coward]

I wrote days ago we will be thanking trump as he does more and more to give citizens thier jobs back. We are just getting started people. Soon citizens will be able to work these well paid jobs again.

Sure you don't care since you are employed. But many others are beaten out because of simply lower immigrant worker wages. That's it.

Do you really think these are geniuses coming over???? No. And do you really think mostvtech jobs require geniuses???? Absolutely no no way.

I am loving this. It us still not a level playing field but every bit helps. As for you h visa holders--I hope you can get you residence cards.

If not, the people who live thier lives here matter first.

Thank you Trump!!!! And I hated him so much during the election. I'm great full other Americans had enough common sense.