President Donald Trump's travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries has drawn criticism from business leaders of both sides of the Atlantic who fear it will restrict their ability to hire the foreign talent they need.The tech sector has been particularly vociferous in its condemnation of Mr Trump's executive order with the likes of Google, Facebook, Uber and Microsoft all voicing opposition.Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, wrote in an email to staff, “Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do. I've heard from many of you who are deeply concerned about the executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. I share your concerns. It is not a policy we support.“There are employees at Apple who are directly affected by yesterday's immigration order. Our HR, legal and security teams are in contact with them and Apple will do everything we can to support them. We’re providing resources on AppleWeb for anyone with questions or concerns about immigration policies. And we have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our co-workers and our company.”

'Barriers to great talent'

A Google spokesman told CNBC, “We're concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US. We'll continue to make our views on these issues known to leaders in Washington and elsewhere.”Mr Trump, who imposed the 90-day travel ban on people from Iran, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia, took action under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which grants wide-ranging powers to the president. However, an amendment to the law, passed in 1965, states that “no person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person's race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence”.In an analysis, David Bier, an immigration policy analyst at the conservative think-tank, the Cato Institute in Washington, DC, wrote that such protection extends to green card holders (though this has been interpreted differently by officials at some US airports) but may not extend to non-immigrants such as refugees, asylum seekers, expat workers, tourists and temporary visitors.

At least 187 Google employees affected

On Sunday, Boris Johnson, the UK foreign secretary, obtained assurances from US officials that the restrictions would not apply to British citizens, including those who held dual nationalities with the countries involved in the ban.Sundar Pichai, the Indian-American CEO of Google, said that at least 187 of the company's employees were from the banned countries. “Our first order of business is to help Googlers who are affected,” he said. “If you're abroad and need help, please reach out to our global security team.”

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In London, Gerard Grech, chief executive of Tech City UK, said, “Anything that impedes freedom of movement of people, with all their ideas and creativity, can curb innovation and growth. Tech companies know how important this is and that's why they've been quick to react to this executive order. We will be watching these developments closely.”

London– open for business

Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates, added: “Putting up barriers to skills is at odds with an industry that is global, meritocratic and collaborative in outlook. Whilst walls around America may hinder the international tech community, the UK needs to capitalise upon this opportunity and send a clear message to the rest of the world – despite Brexit, London is open for business and welcomes international talent.”Iranian-born British entrepreneur Ali Parsi, founder of health tech firm Babylon Health and Circle, told City A.M., “We judge people by the humanity of their hearts, the ambition of their dreams, the purpose of their hard work, and the extent of their wisdom, and not by the country of their birth. Anything else is economically short-sighted, politically divisive, and socially abhorrent.”Sir Martin Sorrell, head of global advertising giant WPP, commented: “We are concerned about the impact it may have on our people and their families both inside and outside the USA and on innocent people generally. As the grandson of Eastern European grandparents, who were admitted to the UK in the very late 19th and early 20th centuries, I have an instinctive dislike of such measures.”Seamus Nevin, head of employment and skills policy at the Institute of Directors, said, “The sudden, severe and indiscriminate restrictions imposed on passport holders from seven Muslim countries could seriously undermine business and trade.“Both in the US and the UK, a number of industries including tech, rely heavily on highly skilled brainpower from across the world. If businesses are restricted from accessing workers then many companies may have to rethink where they place their key staff in future, and that would ultimately have consequences for the prosperity of that country.“From a British perspective this will be worrying. The prime minister has only just begun to prepare for a future trade agreement with the United States. Trade deals are built on stable rules because businesses need certainty if they are to plan for future investments and job creation.”

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