Paul Hoffman 
Immigration of Temporary Lower-Skilled Workers 
Programs, Policies, and Considerations

U.S. employers in various industries argue that they need to hire foreign workers to perform lower-skilled jobs, while others maintain that many of these positions could be filled by U.S. workers. Under current law, certain lower-skilled foreign workers, sometimes referred to as guest workers, may be admitted to the United States to perform temporary service or labor under two temporary worker visas: the H-2A visa for agricultural workers and the H-2B visa for nonagricultural workers. Both programs are administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. This book examines the current policies and related issues with regard to the immigration of temporary lower-skilled workers with a focus on America’s agricultural labor crisis.