E42: Season 4 Episode 7 – Immigration During Covid-19

What The Executive Orders Mean For The International Workforce

These new restrictions are very frustrating to large companies and their workers alike because this makes getting a new employee into the country to be entered into their new position impossible. That being said, the ban doesn’t mean the paperwork cannot be prepared, but the employee cannot get into the US to fill their position. This new set of restrictions is bad news for US based companies and gives large companies in other countries an advantage because these employees cannot get into the US to work, so inevitably they will move onto the next available position. This executive order is set to end at the end of 2020, so it is still best to get your paperwork filed and in line now so that in the event the executive order is not renewed for 2021, the paperwork is there ready to be processed. 

Impact On International Students

As long as colleges are providing a hybrid option, international students are allowed to enter the US. If colleges and universities opt to go virtual for their classes, then the executive order mandates these international students have to leave the US. This mandate hasn’t been taken lightly; many universities have filed a lawsuit against these restrictions. For this to work each university has to certify their hybrid programs, as well as certify students in the program all by August 4, 2020. Then once all this is completed, new visas have to be issued to each student, a huge undertaking to say the least. Students and families are faced with tough decisions, each unique to their specific situation. So the takeaways from this are, don’t get discouraged, keep moving forward, stay in touch with the universities, make sure you’re remaining informed on the lawsuits, and before anything else comes safety, don’t put yourself in harm’s way.

Resources:

Blackletter: Website

Tom Dunlap: Linkedin

Gerald Le Melle: Linkedin