The U.S. economy has long been supported by temporary foreign workers in many different industries such as agriculture, construction, technology and other business sectors. This supplemental labor force has been fundamental in the success of the U.S. economy for generations. The first migrant labor program was launched during World War I.  These programs have been tailored through time and became available to foreign nationals as temporary visas, seasonal work visas, and exchange worker visas.

By 2019, more than nine hundred thousand visas were granted under different visa classifications. The work visa programs have more than double in the recent decades as they are being utilized by thousands of employers. The most common programs are the H-1B, H-2A, and H-2B visa classifications.

The H-2A temporary  programs helps employers who anticipate a lack of available domestic workers to bring foreign workers to the U.S. to perform temporary or seasonal agricultural work including, but not limited to, planting, cultivating, or harvesting labor. The H-2A temporary program works in a similar way for non-agricultural work such as landscape, construction, transportation, food industry and other industries.

The H-1B program applies to employers seeking to hire foreign  workers in specialty occupations of distinguished merit and ability. A specialty occupation is one that requires the application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and the attainment of at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. The intent of the H-1B visa program is to help employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the U.S. available workforce.