State Department data show visa issuances have slumped under Trump, according to government information reviewed and analyzed by POLITICO. The number of visas for temporary stays in the U.S. fell 13 percent in fiscal year 2018 compared with two years earlier, the last full year under President Barack Obama. Immigrant visas, which allow a person to apply for a green card, dropped by 14 percent over the same period. And for people with visas, such as H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, there is less certainty about whether they will be renewed because of changes in policy.
“That’s been a bit of a nightmare,” said Sarah Pitney, an immigration attorney with the D.C.-based firm Benach Collopy. “A lot of employers have just started looking for options other than H-1Bs, because H-1Bs have been such an issue in the last year or so.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member