Temporary Visas: Seasonal Workers

Analysis By: Zohair Mirza

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-backs-plan-for-more-h-2b-visas-irking-critics-of-immigrant-labor-rules-11557048600


Summary and Analysis:

The Trump Administration has worked with the Department of Homeland Security and the Labor Department to grant 30,000 seasonal workers with H-2B visas to fill in the lower skilled jobs. This program will allow several workers to work seasonal low paying jobs in the United States. Half of these H-2B visas went to agriculture and horticultural industries and several went to Building and constructing, forestry, logging, and laborers simply because they cannot find Americans to do such jobs with such low pay. Some people agree while others oppose this program.

The group NumbersUSA launched a cable-TV ad that promoted H-2B visas in the labor market outside of the United States to endorse this program. They have received millions of feedback for recruitment and the administration is under pressure to increase the 30,000 seasonal caps. Jared Kushner, the president’s adviser said that he is going to propose overhaul immigration where he will offer a large number of H-1B visas to highly skilled workers with few green cards available.

However, the Top White House officials are working to restrict legal immigration programs like H-1B, B1/B2, etc. who have a higher rate of overstaying and putting jobs for Americans at a lower demand. H-2B is basically a gateway for workers to enter the United States and seek immigration, plus putting immigration on control.

Not all companies put their settlements in, thus five companies failed to follow the requirements of the H-2B program and had paid thousands of dollars for compensations. All of this is to stop the discrimination against US workers where US workers claim that these H-2B workers are stealing their job market. Even today, questions over low-skilled workers and high-skilled workers are on the debate between Congress. Some claim low-skilled workers are in a greater need for the economy while others claim high-skilled workers are more needed to fill the skill set of the companies in the United States.

The external factors will play a huge role in the immediate job market. The social-political views of the American government and the American public will decide what is to be done regarding this issue.