President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that freezes new visas for foreign workers through the end of the year, citing the need to preserve jobs amid the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
H-1B visas for tech workers, H-2B visas for low-skill jobs, H-4 visas for spouses of certain visa holders and J visas for those participating in work and student exchanges, as well as L visas for intracompany transfers, will all be suspended through Dec. 31.
The suspension of those categories is in addition to the halting of visas on April 22 for certain family members of green card holders. Healthcare workers and researchers combating COVID-19, university professors and people working in food processing, such as agriculture or seafood industries, are exempt from the suspensions.
