Companies seeking H-1B visas for foreign workers will now face closer checks if they have recently cut American jobs, under a new executive order signed on Friday, 18 September.
The order directs the Departments of State, Labor and Homeland Security to consider whether a sponsoring employer 'directly or indirectly' laid off similarly situated US workers within the past year, or plans to do so, before approving H-1B applications. According to the order, the new standards apply across labour condition applications, petitions, visas and entry requests tied to the programme.
