Contributions and Challenges of the H Visa Temporary Work Program in the United States

Maíra Arantes Rodrigues, George Mason University
Michelle S Dromgold-Sermen, George Mason University
Sandip Sureka, George Mason University
James Witte, George Mason University

Temporary migration is increasing globally and in the United States, with over 9 million visas issued for temporary nonimmigrants to enter the United States each fiscal year between 2012 and 2019. Moreover, the number of temporary nonimmigrants remaining in the United States has increased each fiscal year since 2014, which is driven by an increased number of nonimmigrant residents who are temporary workers on H visas. At the same time, however, temporary migration has long been part of the American story. Before the H-1 and H-2 temporary worker programs for high skilled and low skilled labor, respectively, were introduced in the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, indentured servants and later braceros filled labor needs in the United States. Today, the most common H visa types include temporary workers in specialty (H-1B), agricultural (H-2A), and nonagricultural (H-2B) occupations, along with their dependent spouses and children (H-4). Given this contemporary and historical context, we question: (1) What are the current and historic demographics of temporary workers in the United States? (2) What are the contributions of contemporary H visa-holders to the companies and communities where they live and work? and (3) What are the current benefits and challenges that H visa-holders face as temporary workers and, when applicable, in their pathway to legal permanent residence (e.g. a green card)? To answer these questions, we analyze publicly available data and records over time and conduct preliminary surveys and interviews with H visa-holders and employers in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. As politicians continue to debate the economic and cultural contributions of immigrants in the United States, this project offers timely evidence about contemporary migrant worker programs, as well as lessons to be learned from the past that can guide reform of U.S. temporary worker programs into the future.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 190. Disciplining Laborers Through Migration Policy