Employment Based Immigration

Farmworkers Need Better Support to Survive COVID-19
The dangers to America’s farmworkers—primarily immigrant men from Mexico with temporary H-2A visas—have long persisted under a system that is ripe for abuse. But those risks have only grown since the coronavirus pandemic erupted in the United States this March. A lack of workplace protections, crowded housing, and no… Read More

The Trump Administration Expands Legal Immigration Ban, Using COVID-19 Pandemic as Excuse
The Trump administration has banned foreign nationals on certain employment-based nonimmigrant visas from entering the United States. The new ban begins June 24, at 12:01 am ET. The administration also extended its April 23 ban on the entry of certain immigrants, which would have expired on June 22. These… Read More

An Expanded and More Permanent Ban on Immigration Threatens Our Values and Compromises Our Future
The Trump administration announced a more permanent order that suspends many categories of immigration to the United States and an expanded ban that halts many legal employment-based immigration categories for those outside of the United States. Read More

Immigrant IT Workers Play Critical Role in the Coronavirus Pandemic’s Virtual Economy
The coronavirus pandemic has radically altered the U.S. workforce. Many people have lost their jobs, while others have had to continue to go to work despite the serious health risks. Some sectors within the U.S. economy, however, have been able to shift toward working remotely. And immigrants working in the information technology sector have once again proven essential throughout this transition. Data compiled by New American Economy highlights… Read More

Presidential Proclamation Bars Certain Students and Researchers From China
President Trump issued a proclamation to prevent certain Chinese nationals from entering the United States using academic student (F) or exchange visitor researcher (J) visas. The proclamation applies to graduate-level or post-graduate students and researchers who have ties to certain entities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The… Read More

Asian Americans Play Key Role in Fighting Coronavirus, Even as They Suffer Racism Spurred by It
May 31 closes out Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The term AAPI encompasses all people from the Asian continent and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia,… Read More

The Impact of COVID-19 on Noncitizens and Across the U.S. Immigration System
This report identifies disruptions throughout the immigration system because of the COVID-19 pandemic and makes recommendations for improvements to the federal government’s response. Read More

Exchange Visitor Program Faces Uncertainty as US Opens but Embassies Remain Closed
The coronavirus pandemic has affected day-to-day life for everyone, including foreign nationals who planned to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program. These programs use on-the-job training and are often planned months in advanced. Many large organizations and companies that sponsor and host exchange visitors—who come to… Read More

Trump’s Immigration Ban Does Not Keep Us Safer or Solve our Economic Challenges
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to temporarily suspend immigration to the United States. The order applies to many individuals currently outside the United States who do not yet have immigrant (permanent) visas. Read More

USCIS Consistently Denies H-1B Petitions. This Lawsuit Argues It’s Misinterpreting the Law.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been denying many H-1B petitions by misinterpreting the law. On April 16, 2020, the American Immigration Council and partners filed a nationwide class action lawsuit challenging the agency’s pattern of unlawfully denying H-1B petitions for market research analysts. The plaintiffs—who are suing… Read More
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