The Maryland Chamber of Commerce has created an informative document to assist MD businesses, the “Safe Workplace: Best Practices and Baselines for Reopening Maryland.”
The Maryland Chamber was asked by the Alliance for International Exchange to encourage our program stakeholders to join their letter-writing campaign urging that the Administration excludes international exchange programs from any future executive action suspending immigration. You can use the letter template in the text below; just Ctrl+click on either link (letter writing or write). Here’s a fact sheet for more details about the April 22 proclamation.
- Please consider joining a letter-writing campaign to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the Administration to exclude international exchange programs from any future executive action suspending employment-based immigration. The campaign is being led by the Alliance for International Exchange. It should take only a few minutes for you to send your letter.
- The White House issued a proclamation last week suspending some immigrant visas for 60 days. We are concerned that Section 6 of the proclamation, which directs a review within 30 days of nonimmigrant programs, may include international exchange programs.
- As you know, cultural exchange programs help support our national security. Exchange visitors develop a more positive view of the United States and maintain friendships here for years to come. Additionally, these programs add more than a billion dollars to the American economy each year.
- Please take a couple of minutes to write to Secretary Pompeo to reinforce that the Exchange Visitor Program is a cultural exchange, not a work program, and should not be included in any executive action regarding employment-based immigration.
Thank you in advance for your support!
