Discord over foreign workers has long history, elusive solution

The fate of foreign workers in the United States remains up in the air amid the worldwide public health crisis and political disputes related to immigration and foreign worker programs. The COVID-19 pandemic had already slowed or stopped authorization of many foreign workers when the Trump administration in June restricted visas for some classes of foreign workers. The administration's action came on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that was at least a temporary win for certain young immigrant workers already in the United States. Then President Donald Trump hinted at more change on the way for those immigrants. So, the signals are mixed, making uncertainty the key word for foreign workers and their employers.

Visa changes

Many employers were distressed in June to learn that new restrictions would be in place throughout the rest of the year for workers in a variety of visa categories. On June 22, Trump issued a proclamation limiting entry into the United States for temporary foreign workers in the H-1B, L, certain J, and H-2B categories.

Those categories include workers in specialty occupations who must have higher education degrees or their equivalents (H-1B visas), workers in exchange programs (J visas), intracompany transferees who work in managerial or executive positions (L visas), and people who work temporary or seasonal nonagricultural jobs (H-2B visas).