Obama Announces US Working Visa Policy Reform

The US government will increase clarity to the L-1B visa category that allows American companies to transfer foreign workers with specialized knowledge to US offices, US President Barack Obama said at a Commerce Department Investment Summit.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Under the current regulations, foreigners who qualify for L-1B visa can enter the United States for one year and may be accompanied by their spouses and children under 21 years of age, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“My Administration is going to reform the L-1B visa category, which allows corporations to temporarily move workers from a foreign office to a US office in a faster simpler way,” Obama stated on Monday.

The President noted that the guidance clarification could benefit hundreds of thousands of non-immigrant workers and their employers.

“That in turn will benefit our entire economy and spur additional investment,” Obama added.

In 2013, the US Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General called some of L-1B visa program’s rules vague. The Agency pointed out that the application guidance needed to be improved to avoid risk of fraud or abuse, because it was always clear what constitutes “specialized knowledge.”