The U.S. is suspending OPT and H1-B visas for immigrants due to surging unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The U.S. government has ordered the suspension of H1-B visas for immigrants but not OPT.

The U.S. government has ordered the suspension of H1-B visas for immigrants but not OPT.The U.S. president in his proclamation has ordered that all the immigrant visas be suspended to the maximum extent possible as a result of Covid-19 outbreak. It is stated that the country is facing unemployment burden, and hence there is a need to protect the unemployed Americans from the threat of competition for scarce jobs.

While the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf in an interview said he is concerned about the OPT jobs being taken by foreign students, NBC News reported that DHS had sent recommendations restricting immigrant students to pursue the OPT training. However, the Homeland department has not restricted the F1 students to apply for the STEM OPT training as of 18 May 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.