 If you have clicked on this video then you would be aware that just a few days back, the Trump administration introduced major changes in visa regulations. A lot of visa categories such as H1, H2, L1, J1 were part of this new regulation. There's also a lot of confusion about these changes, who is impacted, who is not. So in this video, I'm going to take you through the details of this new regulation, what it means for you and also what are the next steps that you can take, keep on watching. Hi guys, my name is Shachi and I'm a travel and a visa coach. Now before we start, let me just tell you that this video is going to be longer and also more detailed and more technical because there's so much to wrap our heads around the new visa regulation. So probably grab yourself a cup of coffee and also keep a pen and paper handy to take some notes. So to get a complete understanding of the current situation, let's start from the beginning when it all began. So in April of this year, that is April 2020, the US President imposed a ban of 60 days on those who are outside the US and who are waiting for their green card. So effectively stopping the immigration process. And at the same time, a committee was also set up to review the US economy and also study the unemployment statistics in the US. Now keep in mind that in the light of the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment rate and people who are seeking unemployment benefits are at an all-time high in the US. So one of the jobs of this committee was to come up with recommendations to create more jobs for American citizens. Now, when this was done, there was already some speculation that it would go on to impact the H1B visas, but nothing was certain then. Now in June 2020, that is 24th of June 2020, to be more precise, the Trump administration issued a new proclamation, which not only extends the earlier 60 day ban, which were imposed on issuing green cards to those who are outside the US till the end of this year. So now that ban has got extended till 31st of December 2020. But in addition to this, there are also restrictions, which have been imposed on the non-immigrant work visas. And this is what we're going to discuss now. So as per the new proclamation, which came out on 24th June 2020, all new H1, H2, L1 and J1 visas have been put on hold till the end of this year, that is till 31st December 2020, which means that if you were waiting for these visas to be issued to you, or if you already have these visas, but were waiting for it to get stamped, then that wait has just gotten longer. And as of today, you will have to wait till the end of this year. Be in mind that H1, H2, L1, J1 are the visas which allows foreigners, mainly skilled workers to be part of the US job market and also allows US companies to hire people from other countries. If you are interested in knowing more details and the exact definition of these visa categories, do check out the description box, because we have included a note on this. So the next quick question is, who is impacted by this ban? So number one, this ban impacts all new visa holders. So let's say that you are a new H1B visa holder. The visa was issued recently to you in March 2020, and you are currently in your home country waiting for the visa to get stamped so that it can become fully legal. Now, sadly, this ban is going to impact you and now you will have to wait till the end of this year. Second, this ban impacts all the visas which have got renewed, but the holder of the visa is currently outside the US and has come to the home country for stamping. So let's say that you have a H1B visa which has been renewed by your company and then you came to India for stamping, but haven't been able to get an appointment with the embassy till now. Sadly, this ban is going to impact you and you will have to wait till the ban is lifted for the stamping to happen. But this ban is also going to impact the dependence of all these visa holders, that is basically their spouse and children who are currently outside the US and again who are waiting for stamping. So let's say that you are a H1B visa holder and you are in the US and your wife came to India to get the stamping done. Now this ban is going to impact her and she will have to wait till the ban is lifted to get her visa stamped. Now, do keep in mind that these are the initial three categories of people that we think are going to be affected by this new regulation. A lot of things are new. A lot of things are still up in the air and we're still tracking and figuring out all these new developments. So make sure that you subscribe and hit the bell icon because any major change, any new development, I'm going to bring it to you right here on this channel. Now let's look at scenarios and the people who are not going to be impacted by this ban. So number one, this ban is not going to impact all the visa holders who are currently within the US. So if you're a holder of any of these visas and you're currently living within the US and working there, then this ban is not going to impact you. So let's say that you have a H-1B visa and this visa is coming up for renewal in August and your employer has already initiated the process of renewal. As long as you do not travel outside the US till the end of this year, you're going to be fine. This ban is not going to affect you. Second, if you hold a valid work visa and even if you're currently outside the US, this ban is not going to impact you. So as long as you have a valid passport with the valid visa and a valid stamp, even if you're stuck outside the US right now due to the pandemic situation, this ban is not going to impact you. As soon as the international flights resume, you can travel back to the US. Third, this ban is not going to impact all those people who are within the US and who are waiting for a change in status of their visa. So let's say that you're a student who's currently on OTP and you're waiting for the H-1B visa from your employer, then this ban is not going to impact you. It is not going to impact any change in the visa status again as long as you're within the US. So the gist of it is as long as you hold any of these visas and you are within the US, this ban is not going to impact you. Even if your visa is coming up for renewal or even if your visa is due for a change in status, as long as you're within the United States, this ban is not going to impact you. So now that we've understood the entire scenario, let's discuss the next steps and what you can do if you are impacted by this ban. The first thing to keep in mind is that this is not a permanent ban. It is in place only till the end of this year, that is till 31st December 2020 and also it is going to be reviewed every 60 days. This is more of a short-term measure to boost the economy and to create jobs and to bring down the unemployment rate and we really don't know at this point of time if it is going to be a permanent measure. A lot of it is also going to depend upon the outcome of the US elections which are scheduled in November this year. So if you find yourself affected by this ban, I would highly recommend to have a wait and watch policy. Second thing to keep in mind is that currently all the US embassies and consulates are closed in India and in most of the countries in the world. So either way, you would have to wait for the embassies to open for your stamping and your visas to become valid. So do keep this in mind, stay strong and do not lose hope. In the meanwhile, it would also make sense to explore the job market right here in India. There is a lot of support which is pouring in from the startup community and a lot of founders have come forward to express support to people who are without jobs and who are stranded in this situation because of the new developments. They are encouraging all these people to connect to them and to reach out to them. So now would be a good time to explore this option and to make use of this opportunity. Last thing to keep in mind is that there's actually a special provision in the Trump proclamation for exceptional conditions. So if you find yourself in an exceptional condition, if you find yourself stranded away from your family, then you can probably reach out to the consulate and discuss with them. But I would highly recommend talking to an immigration lawyer and sorting out all these details with him or her. If you would like me to cover more details on this particular section of this new proclamation, do let me know in the comment section below. So guys, this is all the information that I wanted to share with you. I would love to hear your views and your comments regarding the new regulation. So I think a discussion sharing each other's experience and sharing what we are going through is really going to help everyone. So please do put on your views in the comment section below. Also, if you're an immigration expert and you're watching this video, I would love to feature you in my channel and we can probably do a video getting into the depth of this particular situation and take questions from everyone. So please do reach out to me. Thank you so much for watching this video. I really hope this has given you a much more clear understanding of the current scenario and what is it that you can do if you are affected by this. Of course, I'm going to be monitoring all new developments very, very closely and bringing them to you right here on this channel. So make sure you do not miss out on any of this. Do subscribe and do hit the bell icon. Signing off for now. I'll see you in the next one. Bye.