H-1B visa: US court turns down challenge to Trump’s temporary ban

Washington: An Indian-American federal judge has turned down an appeal by 169 Indian citizens who had challenged President Donald Trump’s order that barred foreign nationals on H-1B specialty occupation visas from entering the US till the end of the year.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

US District Judge Amit P Mehta of US District Court for the District of Columbia in his 11-page order on Wednesday said that Indian citizens, who are now trapped abroad during trips to India when borders closed, are unlikely to win their case contesting the travel ban proclamation of Trump.