The Trump administration has used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to curtail many immigrant and nonimmigrant visa programs, including J-1 cultural exchange visitors. But with vaccines on the immediate horizon and a new Biden administration soon to take office, what should we expect for programs like the J-1 visa?
Many visa programs have faced intense scrutiny over the last four years. Restrictions put in place before the pandemic made nonimmigrant visas more difficult to obtain. But in June 2020, it became impossible. The Trump administration banned entry of J-1, L-1 (intracompany transfers), H-1B (high-skilled workers), and H-2B seasonal worker visas for ostensibly “presenting a risk to the U.S. labor market” during the economic recovery from the pandemic.
As President-elect Biden is set to take office, experts anticipate a reversal of many of Trump’s restrictions on these visas.
Posted in: Uncategorized
posted on: December 16, 2020