700,000 Guest-Worker Visas Issued in 2012
A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies has found that the United States issued nearly 700,000 guest-worker visas in 2012. This weekend, labor and business groups agreed on terms that would create a new low-skill, guest-worker program, creating up to 200,000 new temporary work visas each year. Business groups claim the U.S. doesn't issue enough guest-worker visas, specifically low-skill worker visas.
CIS found that two-thirds of the visas issued required certain skills or education, while the remaining third were for unskilled workers. The data comes from the State Department Non-Immigrant Visa Issuance Report for 2012 and does not include any additional visas that may have been issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Temporary Work Visas Issued, 2012 | |||
Visa Category | Type of Worker | Skilled or Unskilled | Number |
E | Treaty Worker | Skilled | 11,000 |
F | Student Worker | Skilled | 70,000* |
H-1B | Professional | Skilled | 136,000 |
H-2A | Agriculture | Unskilled | 65,000 |
H-2B | Seasonal | Unskilled | 50,000 |
J | Exchange Worker | Both | 175,000 |
L | Company Transfer | Skilled | 62,000 |
O | Special Ability | Skilled | 16,000 |
P | Entertainers | Skilled | 25,000 |
Q | Irish Exchange Workers | Skilled | 2,000 |
R | Religious Workers | Both | 4,000 |
TN | Nafta Professionals | Skilled | 75,000 |
Total | 691,000 |
* Estimates based on official records rather than actual 2012 issuance.
SOURCE: Center for Immigration Studies