How tech workers may be affected by 'Hire American'

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that directs federal agencies to review employment immigration laws to promote “Hire American” policies.

Here is a look at US H1B visa programme:

• Every April 1, the govt begins accepting applications for the next fiscal year, which starts October 1. This year, the government received 199,000 H1B applications in the first five days and then stopped accepting them

• Analysts estimate 650,000 to 900,000 foreigners are in the US on H1B visas. In recent years, about 70% of the visas have been issued to citizens of India

• The biggest employers are India-based outsourcing companies like Wipro Technologies, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and TCS

• Facebook and the chip maker Qualcomm, are heavily dependent on H1B visas, with at least 15% of their American workforces holding the visas 

• American technology companies argue that there is a shortage of qualified Americans for scientific and programming jobs, forcing them to turn overseas for workers

• Silicon Valley companies often do not cast a wide net for American job candidates. Instead, they compete to hire the same graduates of the top colleges for many jobs and rely heavily on immigrants

• Foreign workers can also be abused by the visa programs. The H1B visa is tied to a specific employer, which means the visa holder cannot easily change jobs