Visas & the economyVisa Ban Strikes Another Blow at Cross-Border Labor Flows
President Donald Trump’s executive order this week to extend and expand a ban on issuing visas to certain classes of foreign workers — ostensibly to preserve 525,000 jobs for hard-pressed American workers — was celebrated by advocates of decreased immigration. But business leaders and economists worry that in addition to doing short-term damage to some sectors of the U.S. economy, it could also make talented professionals from overseas less willing to relocate to the United States in the future.
President Donald Trump’s executive order this week to extend and expand a ban on issuing visas to certain classes of foreign workers — ostensibly to preserve 525,000 jobs for hard-pressed American workers — was celebrated by advocates of decreased immigration.
“Given the powerful moneyed interests demanding continued importation of foreign workers — and the many influential administration officials who share those views — Monday’s announcement was a real win,” wrote Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank dedicated to reducing immigration.
But business leaders and economists worry that in addition to doing short-term damage to some sectors of the U.S. economy, it could also make talented professionals from overseas less willing to relocate to the United States in the future.
“Gross Misunderstanding”
“It reflects the administration’s gross misunderstanding of the way the modern American economy works and has worked for some decades now,” said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.“It’s hard to call it anything other than ignorant.”
The announcement, couched in a presidential proclamation, lengthened a ban put in place earlier this year on issuing entry visas for immigrants seeking lawful permanent resident status through the end of the year.
In addition, the administration will now halt the issuance of a wide variety of nonimmigrant visas, also through December, including the H-1B skilled worker visa much relied upon by the U.S. high-tech industry, and L visas, which allow companies to bring existing foreign-national employees into the country.
Also affected by the ban are H-2B visas, which allow nonagricultural unskilled laborers to enter the country, and J visas, which are commonly used by foreigners coming to the U.S. temporarily to work as camp counselors and au pairs, or to participate in training programs.
