Silicon Valley Looks Forward to Biden’s Immigration Policies

The Trump Administration's H1-B regulations make it harder for companies to hire foreign skilled workers.

(Image: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Tech advocates in Silicon Valley are reportedly eager to work with the incoming Biden administration to reverse several immigration policies implemented under President Donald Trump, particularly those that had created barriers for high-skilled visa holders.

TechNet, a group of industry executives from companies like Apple, Amazon, Google and more, had filed lawsuits challenging the new rules. If unsuccessful, they are hopeful that the rules will be rescinded by President-Elect Joe Biden.

"They've indicated they are going to be very different than the Trump administration on high-skilled immigration, immigration in general....High-skilled immigration...has led to so much growth and technological superiority and competitiveness for the US", said TechNet CEO Linda Moore.

In the past few months, Trump has implemented a series of executive orders in an attempt to strengthen "the H-1B non-immigrant visa program to protect US workers, restores integrity to the H-1B program and better guarantees that H-1B petitions are approved only for qualified beneficiaries and petitioners," making it harder for companies to hire skilled foreign labour, according to a statement by the Department of Homeland Security.

However, there is concern that even before Biden assumes the presidential office, Trump could clamp down ever harder on worker visas in the final days of his administration, according to The Hill.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has reportedly said on a recent call that the president is seeking to finalise a rule to make the standards stricter around H-1B visas, separate from rules announced last month, according to reports.