Visa Restriction

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it had withdrawn visa guidelines that barred international students from the US if all of their classes were to be conducted online this autumn.

The announcement came during a federal district court hearing Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) chalenging the administration's decision, arguing the policy was created unlawfully and that it contradicted previous guidance from federal immigration officials.

Voice of America, the federal government's international broadcaster, could face the loss of dozens of its international journalists as their visas will not be extended once they expire, reports NPR, citing three anonymous sources.

The decision not to renew visas could weaken the broadcaster operations, as it depends on native speakers of foreign languages to produce its content.

Many tech companies have spoken out against Trump's executive order signed on Monday, barring foreigners to seek employment in the United States. Amazon and Facebook both have released statements, with Amazon stating that the ban will "preventing high skilled professionals from entering the country and contributing to America's economic recovery puts American's global competitiveness at risk," so an Amazon spokesperson, and adding that the company will continue to "support efforts that will preserve their ability to strengthen our economy."

Microsoft President Brad Smith said that it was not the time to "cut our nation off from the world's talent or create uncertainty and anxiety" as "immigrants are contributing to this country at a time when we need them most."

Elon Musk took to Twitter where he replied to the New York Times, writing: "Very much disagree with this action. In my experience, these skillsets are net job creators. Visa reform makes sense, but this is too broad."

On Monday, Donald Trump signed an executive order to temporarily suspend new nonimmigrant work visas through 2020, barring foreigners to seek employment in the United States. The order freezes many different work visas, including H1-B (foreign workers in special occupations), H-2B (seasonal nonagricultural workers), J-1 (scholars and professors participating in cultural exchange programs) and L-1 (used to transfer existing employees to offices in the US).