SENATORS URGE TRUMP TO SUSPEND TEMPORARY WORKER VISAS 60 DAYS / LONGER

In response to the President’s recent order suspending some types of immigrant visas (i.e. green card cases), a group of senators sent a letter to President Trump on May 7, 2020, urging him to suspend “all new guest worker visas for sixty days, and to suspend certain categories of new guest worker visas for at least the next year, or until unemployment has returned to normal levels.”

Calling Trump’s April 22nd proclamation “a good step in the right direction”, the senators urged Trump to “suspend all nonimmigrant guest worker visas for the next sixty days” in order to protect U.S. workers during any economic recovery. Presumably, this request, if granted, would restrict TN visa worker admissions for 60 days. The senators also ask that exceptions to the suspension “be rare, limited to time-sensitive industries such as agriculture.”

Following the 60-day suspension, these senators are also requesting that Trump suspend the entry of non-immigrant guest workers for 1 year or until unemployment levels return to normal. They specifically recommend that Trump suspend H-2B and H-1B visas, and students using Optional Practical Training for this 1-year period. Additionally, they recommend Trump suspends the EB-5 immigrant visa (green card) program immediately.

While the senators’ letter is merely a recommendation, as mentioned here before, individuals interested in obtaining TN visa work status (particularly those currently outside the U.S.), should consider applying for their TNs as soon as possible in the event Trump decides to act on these or similar recommendations in the near future.