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Google CEO Sundar Pichai said he was disappointed by US President Donald Trump's proclamation that suspended work visas till the end of 2020, stating that Google will continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all. "Immigration has contributed immensely to America�s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today�s proclamation - we�ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all," Pichai tweeted. His tweet came hours after President Trump issued a proclamation suspending work visas in categories such as H-1B, H-2B, L and J till the end of 2020. "The entry of additional workers through the H-1B, H-2B, J, and L non-immigrant visa programs, presents a significant threat to employment opportunities for Americans affected by the extraordinary economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak," the White House stated. The suspension will not apply to those already in the US on these visas.

H-1B visa is one of the most widely used employment visas by US-bound Indian techies. A majority of these visas are used by global tech majors such as Google and Microsoft as well as Indian IT companies such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro to deploy engineers from India to the US. Software lobby Nasscom had earlier sought an exemption for the tech workers from any restrictions that may be imposed in a White House proclamation on grounds that they are treated as "essential workers".

In a telephonic conversation with ET Now a few days ago, Nasscom Vice-President Shivendra Singh had said, "The issue has already been raised at various levels. Hope the suspension is temporary and ends before October." If the suspension goes through, it will impact current H-1B holders who are currently not in the US and who may have returned home after the COVID-19 pandemic. If it continues beyond September, it will impact new visa approvals, which typically happen in October. Singh further added that IT unemployment has been steadily coming down in the US and that H-1B accounts for just 0.05 per cent of the US workforce. "The visa applications by the top 7 Indian IT companies has been declining over the last few years," he added. In a statement, Nasscom said that it is seeking exemption for technology workers as essential workers, from any restrictions that may be imposed in a second White House Proclamation. The unemployment rate for computer occupations (those most common amongst H-1B visa holders) declined from 3 per cent in January 2020 to 2.5 per cent in May 2020 while the unemployment rate for all other occupations grew from 4.1 per cent in January 2020 to 13.5 per cent in May 2020.