Google, Amazon and other top tech companies have condemned the latest visa ban announced by President Donald Trump.
Major tech companies including Amazon, Uber, Google parent Alphabet, and Twitter disagreed with Trump’s freeze on a range of immigration work visas, calling it an “unbelievably bad policy” that will undermine America’s economic recovery and its competitiveness.
Trump on Monday banned new H-1B visas, used by major companies to bring over highly-skilled engineers from abroad.
Around 18,000 H1-B visas were given to Google and Apple last year. Trump said he did it to create jobs for Americans hurting economically due to the pandemic.
The ban announced by Trump will only affect individuals who are planning to apply for the visa, which means that those who have already gotten it and are working in the US will not be affected.
However, H-1B visa holders who travelled to their home countries due to the pandemic will not be allowed to re-enter the US until the end of the year.
Tech companies have reacted, noting that the policy is a bad one. Amazon said the measures ‘put America’s global competitiveness at risk’.
A Facebook spokesperson said it will be even more difficult for the US to recover after coronavirus because of the measures.
An Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider: “Preventing high skilled professionals from entering the country and contributing to America’s economic recovery puts America’s global competitiveness at risk.”
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CEO of Alphabet, which is Google’s parent company, Sundar Pichai tweeted: “Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today.
“Disappointed by today’s proclamation, we’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all.”