Bad News for Immigrant Workers: U.S. Tightens Work Permit Rules

The United States has announced stricter regulations for immigrant workers. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that work permits for immigrants will no longer be automatically renewed. This change is expected to adversely affect thousands of immigrant workers.

According to the DHS, the new rule takes effect from Thursday (October 30). From now on, immigrants who apply to renew their work permits will not receive automatic extensions during the processing period.

Under the previous policy, certain categories of immigrants who applied for renewal on time were allowed to continue working for up to 540 days while their applications were under review. The DHS said the change was introduced to reduce the risks of fraud and misuse that could arise from automatic renewals.

Earlier last month, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order increasing visa fees for skilled workers. Under the new decision, applicants seeking to work in the U.S. through the H-1B visa program will now have to pay an additional $100,000 (or £74,000) in costs.