Bulletins

Biden lets Trump's H-1B freeze expire

Biden lets Trump's H-1B freeze expire

President Biden allows a Trump-era H-1B visa ban to expire.

(Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The freeze on H-1B and other high-skilled worker visas had been in place since last June and was widely opposed by tech industry leaders who rely heavily on those visas.

President Biden had signaled he would let the clock run out on the freeze in a February proclamation, which declared that the Trump-era visa ban "does not advance the interests of the United States."

"To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here," the proclamation read. "It also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world."

Issie Lapowsky

Issie Lapowsky ( @issielapowsky) is Protocol's chief correspondent, covering the intersection of technology, politics, and national affairs. She also oversees Protocol's fellowship program. Previously, she was a senior writer at Wired, where she covered the 2016 election and the Facebook beat in its aftermath. Prior to that, Issie worked as a staff writer for Inc. magazine, writing about small business and entrepreneurship. She has also worked as an on-air contributor for CBS News and taught a graduate-level course at New York University's Center for Publishing on how tech giants have affected publishing.

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