In an effort that could undermine foreign entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, the Trump Administration has delayed the roll out of a program allowing immigrant founders to obtain provisional startup visas.

Silicon Valley tech advocates say the move will send an unwanted message to future startup pioneers and risk the region’s long-term competitiveness.

“This is unquestionably a setback for the United States in the global race for talent – we should be encouraging innovators to bring their new ideas, expertise, and unique skills to our country, rather than incentivizing them to put their talents to work for our competitors abroad,” said Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, an immigration advocacy group backed by the tech industry.

The International Entrepreneurship Rule, or IER, was proposed by the Obama administration last year to let foreign investors stay in the U.S. for up to five years, provided they have a track record and business plan for expanding here.

The visa requires a founder to have substantial ownership in a company less than five years old, at least $250,000 in funding or otherwise “provide a significant public benefit to the United States.”

The program was scheduled to open next week, but the Trump administration will delay it until at least March 2018. The president built his political platform around immigration reform and curbing the number of visas allowing for the flow of foreign visitors for study and business. The administration is also considering changes to the H-1B visa program for skilled workers.

A study by the National Foundation for American Policy found more than half of the startups valued over $1 billion have at least one foreign-born founder. The list includes Silicon Valley moguls Elon Musk and Sergey Brin, among many others.

The Department of Homeland Security estimated that 2,900 entrepreneurs, mainly from countries such as India, Brazil and Russia, would apply for the program. </s> NEW DELHI: After the Donald Trump administration's intended tightening of the work visa rules that has come as a blow to the Indian IT companies , the US government’s latest announcement to delay the so-called "startup" visa could impact Indian entrepreneurs . The visa programme was approved in January by the then Barack Obama administration and was meant to allow foreign entrepreneurs who started companies in the US to live in that country — a longstanding demand of the Silicon Valley. It was supposed to come into effect on July 17.Immigrants have started more than half of US startups valued at $1 billion dollars or more, and are key members of either management or product development teams in more than 70% of these companies, according to a 2016 study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a US-based non-profit nonpartisan public policy think tank. Out of these, people of Indian origin have founded almost 30%.Indian-American technology entrepreneur and academic Vivek Wadhwa called the policy “brain-dead” and a “lose-lose” for the US. “Without doubt, bringing in entrepreneurs creates American jobs and expands the economy, it is the closest thing there could be to a free lunch for the United States. This is a lose-lose for the US and for the entrepreneurs who would have come here but it will benefit the countries where they would have come from.”Wadhwa, who is a Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University Engineering in Silicon Valley, added that countries such as India and the rest of the world could gain from this. “This is the type of brain-dead policy that is becoming a hallmark of the Trump administration. They are pandering to anti-immigrant groups rather than focusing on US competitiveness and economic growth ,” said Wadhwa.As per the NFAP study, 14 Indian-origin entrepreneurs have started billion dollar companies in the US which are collectively valued at $19.6 billion. The foundation had evaluated 87 startup companies valued at over $1 billion as of January 1, 2016, for the study. The Obama administration’s idea was to keep high-calibre talent who come to the US for studies but return to their countries and start businesses that become huge successes.Puru Vashishtha, a Valley-based Indian entrepreneur-investor who studied at Stanford University, said the startup visa would have been great for Indian and Israeli students. “Imagine if Vinod Khosla had to come back to India to work in Infosys. That would have been a big loss for innovation. Unfortunately, it’s already happening now, due to difficulties faced by international students and immigrants to become entrepreneurs. Countries like Canada are taking advantage of it, but they don’t have big enablers that Silicon Valley provides and a big market that US readily provides,” he said.Vashishtha added that he has witnessed the struggle of many of his Stanford friends without the startup visa. “These were highly trained, best minds in the world. They wanted to do product startup in the Valley. Unfortunately, because of being a foreign national, even a top university graduate does not get the same options as rest of her US classmates. This is regressive and it deprives the US from significant value creation and job creation. startup visa was a big hope.”According to a 2012 study, companies founded by immigrants in the US have created more than 10 million jobs and over $4.5 trillion in annual revenue.On Monday, the US Department of Homeland Security issued a memo saying that the rule will now be launched on March 14, 2018 and it will solicit comments from the public about rescinding the rule, and "may ultimately eliminate the program."“Given the real shortage of tech talent in the US, this startup visa would have been a great enabler. It has the potential to take the innovation to the next level. This move to cancel it is a big setback,” said Vashishtha. </s> Infosys Technologies employees move through the headquarters during a break in Bangalore, India.

Dubai: A proposed law that could limit Indian immigration to the US shook Indian tech companies yesterday, hitting stock prices hard.

The proposed bill on the H1-B visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers, is expected to have an adverse impact on hiring plans of IT firms, including their financials. The legislation calls for doubling the minimum salary of H1-B visa holders to $130,000 from the current $60,000. India got 72% of the H1-B visas issued last year.

The bill, expected to be signed by President Donald Trump, would make it difficult for firms like Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services to use the programme to replace American staff with foreign workers, including from India, with lower wages.

“A hike in the H1-B visa cost will have significant impact on the financials...,” Mumbai-based Angel Broking said. “Depending on the companies, they could easily witness around 60-70 per cent rise in the salaries of the H1-B visa dependent workforce and hence have significant impact on the net profit of the companies,” the brokerage said.

On a single trading day yesterday, the IT majors lost Rs330 billion or nearly $4.4 billion in market value, after their shares slumped between 1-4.5 per cent.

New Delhi yesterday said it has conveyed its concerns to the US over the proposed bill.

What is an H1-B visa?

H1-B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it for hiring tens of thousands of employees each year. </s> President Donald Trump's administration is postponing and plans to drop a program to provide visas for foreign entrepreneurs who launch companies in the United States.



The visa program, proposed last year by former President Barack Obama, was intended to give entrepreneurs who are not eligible for other types of visas permission to live in the U.S. for 30 months to get their enterprises up and running.



Leading figures in the technology industry had lobbied strongly for the visa program as a way for immigrants to come to the U.S. to start companies, contribute to the economy and create more jobs. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has estimated that nearly 3,000 entrepreneurs would be eligible for such visas each year.



The so-called startup visa program was to have taken effect next week, but DHS issued a notice Tuesday postponing implementation of the International Entrepreneur Rule until March 14, 2018.

The notice posted online by the Federal Register said DHS plans to rescind the rule, but is requesting public comments before issuing a final decision.



The program would permit non-U.S. citizens to stay in the country for renewable 30-month terms if they have $250,000 in capital investments or win $100,000 in government grants to support their proposals.



The president of the National Venture Capital Association, Bobby Franklin, said Monday the administration's decision was "extremely disappointing."

“At a time when countries around the world are doing all they can to attract and retain talented individuals to come to their shores to build and grow innovative companies," Franklin said, "the Trump administration is signaling its intent to do the exact opposite.”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the DHS, has said it decided to delay the rule to ensure it is consistent with an executive order Trump issued during his first days in office, limiting federal officials' authority to grant permission for foreign nationals to remain in the U.S., except on a case-by-case basis. </s> The U.S. technology industry, a major employer of foreign workers, hit back on Saturday at President Donald Trump’s sudden executive order on immigration, with some leaders calling it immoral and un-American. Trump’s order temporarily bars citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States even if they hold valid visas or permanent residence permits, a move that caught many companies off-guard.

Netflix Inc Chief Executive Reed Hastings called it “a sad week” and added: “It is time to link arms together to protect American values of freedom and opportunity.” Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook sent a letter to employees saying Trump’s order was “not a policy we support” and promised to help affected employees. “We have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our coworkers and our company,” Cook added.

Elon Musk, the South African-born founder of Tesla and SpaceX who met recently with Trump, said on Twitter: “The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges.”

You May Also Like To Watch This:

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said: “Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right and we must stand with those who are affected.”Airbnb will provide free housing to anyone not allowed into the United States, Chesky said.

Aaron Levie, the outspoken founder and CEO of online storage company Box Inc, said: “The executive order on immigration is immoral and antithetical to our values.”

Friday’s order could be a major headache for tech companies, potentially leaving employees stranded overseas and unable to return to the United States. Alphabet Inc’s Google urgently called back employees from overseas and told ones who might be affected by the ban not to leave the United States.

CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to staff that more than 100 Google employees were affected by the order, according to a Google executive.

One Google employee of Iranian nationality with legal U.S. residency made it back to the United States just hours before the order took effect, the executive said. “We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.,” Google said in a statement.

Microsoft Corp President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith said in a company-wide email posted on LinkedIn that 76 company employees were citizens of the seven countries in question and held U.S. work visas, and thus were directly affected by the order.

He said the company had not determined how many people with green cards, or permanent residence status, might be affected. “As a company, Microsoft believes in a strong and balanced high-skilled immigration system,” Smith said in the post. “We believe in the importance of protecting legitimate and law-abiding refugees whose very lives may be at stake in immigration proceedings.”

Uber Technologies Inc CEO Travis Kalanick, who has faced criticism from some employees for participating in President Trump’s business advisory council, said in a statement that the company would compensate drivers from the seven countries who might not be able to return to the United States for three months or more. He said the company knew of about a dozen affected employees.

“This ban will impact many innocent people – an issue that I will raise this coming Friday when I go to Washington for President Trump’s first business advisory group meeting,” Kalanick said. Facebook Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on Friday that was “concerned” about the order and voiced support for immigrants. </s> Shalabh Kumar assures Trump will not take Executive Action on H-1B visa workers. But what about H4 and F1 visa holders?

NEW YORK: Illinois-based entrepreneur Shalabh ‘Shalli’ Kumar, an Indian-American donor with close ties to the Trump administration, and who has got effusive praise from President Donald Trump for campaigning to get Hindu votes out for the Republican Party, has dismissed a slew of rumors of an imminent Executive Action to curb the prospects of H-1B workers in the US.

“There will be need of more H-1B visas. The number of people on H-1B from India is certainly going to increase,” Kumar, the founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition, told reporters at a news conference, in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

Kumar, who is in contention to be the next US Ambassador to India, tried to allay fears that the White House and Trump will put out damning orders which would harm the chances of skilled Indian workers who plan to emigrate to the US. On the contrary, he claimed, as the US economy gets stronger, it would need more workers, especially in the IT arena.

Kumar, however, did support cleaning up the H-1B visa system, which has seen several cases of systemic fraud by top Indian IT service companies, as well as middlemen in the system.

In the past week, several reports based on ‘leaked’ documents from the White House circles have surfaced, which suggest Trump is assessing how to best frame an Executive Order to ensure that American citizens and legal workers in the US get priority first in hiring. He has also spoken about rampant visa fraud and abuse by companies who use H-1B visa, and L-1 visa workers, on the campaign trail.

However, reports by The Wall Street Journal, Vox and Bloomberg News, based on some ‘leaked’ documents that were circulated within the White House, which seemed to be framing how best to go about issuing an Executive Order to curb legal immigration, made it clear that the Trump administration wants to target H-1B visa workers. And worse, there’s reasonable concern that this may also expand to spouses of H-1B workers, on the H4 visa. In May, 2015, some H4 visa holders were allowed to apply for Employment Authorization Card (EAD). The EAD allows the recipient to work without any restrictions.

The White House press secretary Sean Spicer sounded an ominous warning at a press briefing on Monday: “With respect to H1-Bs and other visas, it’s part of a larger immigration reform effort that the president will continue to talk about through executive order and through working with Congress.”

Spicer mentioned spouses too: “Whether it’s that or the spousal visa or other types of visas I think there’s an overall need to look at all these programs,” he said.

To another query, Spicer added: “You’ll see both through executive action and through comprehensive legislative measures a way to address immigration as a whole and the visa program.”

The issue of restrictions on visa holders is of real concern.

Kumar is probably right that Trump may not pass any Executive Action on H-1B visa workers. The reason for that is simple enough: there is bipartisan support to curb the influx of cheap labor from India by IT outsourcing companies like Infosys, TCS and others. Legislators are keen to make it a level playing field for American and legal workers in the US. Two bills, by Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, and Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren, both from California, want to raise the minimum salary threshold and include a Master’s degree for new H-1B workers – to as much as $130,000. That, if implemented, would see applications for H-1B workers, plummet. The minimum salary requirement for an IT worker on an H-1B visa, at present, is $60,000.

However, the question that comes up is what would be the fate of existing H-1B workers, especially those who make less than six figures. Going forward, would their petitions for extension of work visa, and also Green Card, be accepted?

And, importantly, while Trump may not hit out against H-1B workers for now, knowing that it’s in the pipeline anyway and might soon become law in Congress, he could target the H4 visa workers who have an EAD, and also F1 visa students, some of whom in the STEM fields have 36 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT). Some of the leaked documents suggest that Trump might cut that OPT time from three years to only 12 months.

That would be devastating for students who graduate and then look to see if they can get sponsorship for H-1B visa, and then stay on in the US. For example, if they graduate in May, then within a year they would have to get a company to sponsor them, and even so, would have to leave the country, without knowing if they get approved or not. The filing season for H-1B workers start April 1. Approved workers begin work in August/September.

It’s important that Kumar, who has close ties to Trump, guide and give suggestions to the administration, to not harm the chances of H4 visa holders to work and thrive in this country. If an EAD is taken away, it could mean thousands of families suffering financially, mortgages going asunder, wilting of relationships, family strife. </s> British business leaders have spoken out against US president Donald Trump’s ban on immigration from seven Muslim majority countries.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) both agreed the ban would be bad for business while Sir Martin Sorrell, the head of advertising group WPP, expressed concerns about the effect on his workers and their families and said he had an “instinctive dislike” of such measures.

Sorrell, who has offices in New York as well as London, the far east, India and Australia, said he was not aware of any immediate effect of the ban on his staff, but added: “We are concerned about the impact it may have on our people and their families both inside and outside the USA and on innocent people generally.”

The IoD also spoke out strongly against the measures introduced by Trump in an executive order that temporarily bans citizens from countries including Syria, Iran, Iraq and Somalia from entering the US, even if they hold valid visas or permanent residence permits.

A spokesman said: “The sudden, severe and indiscriminate restrictions imposed on passport holders from seven Muslim countries could seriously undermine business and trade.

“Both in the US and the UK, a number of industries including tech rely heavily on highly skilled brainpower from across the world. If businesses are restricted from accessing workers then many companies may have to rethink where they place their key staff in future, and that would ultimately have consequences for the prosperity of that country.

“From a British perspective this will be worrying. The prime minister has only just begun to prepare for a future trade agreement with the United States. Trade deals are built on stable rules because businesses need certainty if they are to plan for future investments and job creation.”

Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, said many of its members had import and export businesses that relied heavily on employees being able to travel freely.

“Any kind of changes to immigration rules which mean business people cannot get around to see clients or suppliers is concerning,” Marshall said. “I want to ensure that UK-based business people and trading partners around the world don’t face untoward obstacles.”

The comments from British bosses come after US-based entrepreneurs hit out at Trump’s order, with some calling it immoral and un-American.

Leaders of businesses including Apple, Google, Tesla, Microsoft, Airbnb, Uber and Facebook, all of which rely on IT talent from around the world, spoke out.

Apple Inc chief executive Tim Cook sent a letter to employees saying Trump’s order was “not a policy we support”, according to Reuters. “We have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our co-workers and our company,” Cook said.

Alphabet Inc, the owner of Google, which has about 100 members of staff affected by the order, urgently called back employees from overseas and told those who might be affected by the ban not to leave the US. Co-founder Sergey Brin was among those protesting against the order at San Francisco airport over the weekend.

“We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US,” Google said in a statement.

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, said on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.”

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said: “Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right and we must stand with those who are affected.”

Travis Kalanick, the boss of Uber, who has faced criticism from some employees for participating in President Trump’s business advisory council, said he would raise the issue of the ban at the group’s first meeting on Friday. </s> NEW YORK (AP) — Google, Apple and other tech giants expressed dismay over an executive order on immigration from President Donald Trump that bars nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

The U.S tech industry relies on foreign engineers and other technical experts for a sizeable percentage of its workforce. The order bars entry to the U.S. for anyone from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.

The move, ostensibly intended to prevent extremists from carrying out attacks in the U.S., could now also heighten tensions between the new Trump administration and one of the nation’s most economically and culturally important industries. That’s especially true if Trump goes on to revamp the industry’s temporary worker permits known as H-1B visas, as some fear.

“I share your concerns” about Trump’s immigration order, Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in a memo to employees obtained by The Associated Press. “It is not a policy we support.”

“We have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our coworkers and our company,” he added.

Cook didn’t say how many Apple employees are directly affected by the order, but said the company’s HR, legal and security teams are in contact to support them. “Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do,” Cook wrote — an apparent reference not only to the company’s foreign-born employees, but to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, the son of a Syrian immigrant.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings was forcefully blunt. “Trump’s actions are hurting Netflix employees around the world, and are so un-American it pains us all,” he wrote on Facebook . “Worse, these actions will make America less safe (through hatred and loss of allies) rather than more safe.”

“It is time to link arms together to protect American values of freedom and opportunity,” he continued. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg criticized the order in similar, though more carefully couched, terms on Friday .

Technology investor Chris Sacca, an early backer of Uber and Instagram, said on Twitter that he would match ACLU donations up to $75,000 after the organization sued over the ban — and then decided to donate another $75,000 , for a total of $150,000. EBay founder Pierre Omidyar, the child of Iranians, complained that the order was “simple bigotry .”

Tesla Motors and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who has recently appeared to be cultivating a relationship with Trump, tweeted that “many people negatively affected by this policy are strong supporters of the US” who don’t “deserve to be rejected.” Musk is an immigrant from South Africa.

Google told its employees from those countries to cancel any travel plans outside the U.S. and to consult with the company’s human resources department if they’re not currently in the U.S., according to a company-wide note described to The Associated Press. That memo was first reported by Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in the note that at least 187 Google workers could be affected by Trump’s order. It is not clear how many of those workers are currently traveling outside the U.S. “We’ve always made our views on immigration known publicly and will continue to do so,” Pichai said in the memo.

Company representatives declined to discuss the memo or to answer questions about the affected employees. In an official statement, Google said: “We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.”

Microsoft also said it is providing legal advice and assistance to its employees from the banned countries, noting they are all working in the U.S. lawfully.

The tech industry may be bracing for further immigration-related hits. Leaks of draft executive orders, still unverified, suggest that Trump might also revamp the H1-B program that lets Silicon Valley bring foreigners with technical skills to the U.S. for three to six years.

While the tech industry insists the H1-B program is vital, it has drawn fire for allegedly disadvantaging American programmers and engineers, especially given that the visas are widely used by outsourcing firms. Trump’s attorney general nominee, Sen. Jeff Sessions, is a long-time critic of the program.

Venky Ganesan, a managing director at venture capitalist firm Menlo Ventures, acknowledged that the program is “not perfect” and subject to some abuse, but noted that it provides an invaluable source of skilled workers and plays a “pivotal” role in the tech industry.

“If we want to buy American and hire American, we do that best by creating companies in America,” he said. :Having the best and brightest from all over the world come and create companies in America is better than them creating companies in India, Israel or China.”

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> KENOSHA, Wis., April 18 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday will order federal agencies to look at tightening a temporary visa program used to bring high-skilled foreign workers to the United States, as he tries to carry out his campaign pledges to put "America First."

Trump will sign an executive order on enforcing and reviewing the H-1B visa, popular in the technology industry, on a visit to the headquarters of Snap-On Inc, a tool manufacturer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, senior administration officials said.

He will also use what the White House called the "Buy American and Hire American" order to seek changes in government procurement that would boost purchases of American products in federal contracts, with one aim being to help U.S. steelmakers.

The moves will show Trump once again using his power to issue executive orders to try to fulfill promises he made last year in his election campaign, in this case to reform U.S. immigration policies and encourage purchases of American products.

Senior officials gave few details on implementation of the order but Trump aides have expressed concern that most H-1B visas are awarded for lower-paid jobs at outsourcing firms, many based in India, which they say takes work away from Americans.

They seek a more merit-based way to give the visas to highly skilled workers.

Companies that specialize in applying for H-1B visas on behalf of foreign workers, then connecting those workers with U.S. employers, include Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Cognizant Tech Solutions Corp and Infosys Ltd .

Their business models could be affected by any changes to the H-1B system.

None of the three companies immediately responded to a request for comment.

Infosys, India's No. 2 IT services firm, has said it is ramping up work on on-site development centers in the United States to train local talent in an effort to address the visa regulation changes under consideration.

It warned last week that onerous changes to U.S. visa rules could affect its earnings.

As he nears the 100-day benchmark of his presidency, Trump still has no major legislative achievements. With his attempts to overhaul healthcare and tax law not bearing fruit so far in a Congress controlled by his fellow Republicans, Trump has leaned heavily on executive orders to seek changes to the U.S. economy.

The venue for Trump's visit on Tuesday is a nod to his voter base in the manufacturing centers of the American heartland. Wisconsin unexpectedly voted for the Republican last year, partly due to his promises to bring back industrial jobs.

His order will call for "strict enforcement of all laws governing entry into the United States of labor from abroad for the stated purpose of creating higher wages and higher employment rates for workers in the United States," a senior official said.

It will call on the departments of Labor, Justice, Homeland Security and State to crack down on what the official called "fraud and abuse" in the U.S. immigration system, in order to protect American workers.

Instead of directly ordering a change to the H-1B visa program, Trump is taking a more cautious route that will likely take some time to produce actual results. He will ask those federal departments to propose reforms to ensure those visas are awarded to the most skilled or highest paid applicant.

H-1B visas are intended for foreign nationals in occupations that generally require higher education, including science, engineering or computer programming. The government uses a lottery to award 65,000 visas every year and randomly distributes another 20,000 to graduate student workers.

More than 15 percent of Facebook Inc's U.S. employees in 2016 used a temporary work visa, according to a Reuters analysis of U.S. Labor Department filings.

Critics say the lottery benefits outsourcing firms that flood the system with mass applications.

The senior official said that under the current system foreign workers are often brought in at less pay to replace American workers, "violating the principle of the program."

Indian nationals are by far the largest group of recipients of the H-1B visas issued each year to new applicants.

NASSCOM, the Indian IT service industry's main lobby group, said it supports efforts to root out any abuses occurring in the H-1B system, but said the idea that H-1B visa holders are cheap labor is inaccurate.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Washington in February to be open minded on admitting skilled Indian workers.

Before Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, his transition team discussed the possibility of scrapping the H-1B lottery and replacing it with a system to favor visa petitions for jobs that pay the highest salaries, in an effort to curb visas given to lower skilled tech workers.

"We hope the goal of President Trump´s executive order on the H-1B program is 'mend it, don´t end it,'" Robert Atkinson, president of the tech industry think tank Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

But he added that "some of the ideas that have been suggested, such as requiring applicants to advertise job openings for an extended period of time to prove conclusively that no U.S. workers are available could be so onerous that it renders the program ineffective."

The number of H-1B visa applications for this year actually fell to 199,000 from 236,000 received for 2016, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Trump's order will also ask federal agencies to look at how to get rid of loopholes in the government procurement process.

Specifically, the review will take into account whether waivers in free-trade agreements are leading to unfair trade by allowing foreign companies to undercut American companies in the global government procurement market.
Visas given to potential entrepreneurs who are foreigners will be significantly reduced prompting fears and criticism from Silicon Valley. Many of those given visas are from India.