The leaders of some the biggest technology firms in the U.S. have expressed dismay over President Donald Trump’s executive order curtailing immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, even as some of those companies are in hot water for previously supporting the administration.
The immigration issue is especially problematic for Silicon Valley, the southern San Francisco Bay area where many startup and global technology companies are based, as the industry increasingly relies on foreign engineers and other technical experts for a sizable percentage of its workforce.
Temporary worker permits for high-skilled workers are known as H-1Bs, and leaks of draft executive orders, still unverified, suggest Trump might revamp the program, which has allowed Silicon Valley companies to bring foreigners with technical skills to the U.S. for three to six years. Currently the system is lottery based, and capped at 85,000 workers a year.
CBC News – Jan 30, 2017.
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