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Immigration is tied to food security, farmer says, and food security is tied to national security

Jan 22, 2025
Patrick Smith of Loftus Ranches relies on temporary workers to tend his crops. Immigration policy has broad impact, he says.
Patrick Smith grows apples and hops at Loftus Ranches in Yakima, Washington.
Courtesy Loftus Ranches

Amid shortage, nurses abroad wait longer for visas

Jun 24, 2024
Qualified and experienced nurses are in high demand. And the Health Resources & Services Administration projects a shortfall of tens of thousands of registered nurses annually.
One way employers could help alleviate the nursing shortage? Do more to retain the nurses they already have.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

New H1-B visa rules give workers more autonomy

Mar 8, 2024
It’s H-1B season, which means U.S. companies are once again competing for a limited number of spots— 85,000 — in a visa lottery. Registration opened this week after the federal government revamped the application process.
Workers with H1-B visas "have a lot more more negotiating power," said immigration attorney Ummehani Ismail.
adrian825/Getty Images

Filipino nurses fill critical jobs as workforce shortage intensifies

Sep 11, 2023
Foreign nurses are in high demand to support patients in U.S. nursing homes and hospitals, but visa barriers remain in place.
Houston-area Filipino nurses Cristina Dimafiles and JohnRich Levine are veterans of the field.
Elizabeth Trovall/Marketplace

Visa denials for international students increasing

Aug 3, 2023
The Cato Institute found that the United States denied 35% of international student visas in 2022 — the highest denial percentage in decades.
In 2022, the number of international students was nearly 1 million, according to the Institute of International Education, but many student visas were denied.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The U.S. is nearly doubling the number of seasonal worker H-2B visas it offers

Dec 14, 2022
H-2Bs, temporary non-agriculture work visas for foreigners without advanced degrees, are used for jobs in landscaping, food processing and hospitality.
The industries that rely heavily on H-2B visas also have high incidences of wage theft, said Daniel Costa at the Economic Policy Institute.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Canada's agricultural worker program is under scrutiny amid the pandemic

Jun 14, 2021
COVID-19 raised questions about the working and living conditions for some of the country's immigrant workers.
Farm workers fill up bins in the back of a truck with zucchini.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images

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There are fewer visas, but Chinese students still want a U.S. education

Feb 19, 2021
Chinese students spend years mapping out the path to U.S. colleges. The pandemic has disrupted all of that.
"Contemplation in the afternoon," is one of the many pieces of art Li Jiayan has posted on social media in hopes of getting more freelance work while she figures out the next steps in her study plans.
Courtesy of Li Jiayan

Trump administration takes aim at "birth tourism"

Jan 24, 2020
New visa rules add restrictions for pregnant visitors and those seeking other medical treatment in the U.S.
Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images

Travel ban takes its toll on small businesses

Apr 12, 2019
Businesses are struggling with hiring, access to capital and family separation.
Shahab Mothena, co-owner of Amir Deli in Brooklyn, is waiting for his Yemeni wife, currently living in Egypt, to be issued a visa. 
Nina Roberts for Marketplace