the previous administration's ban on new work-based visas, an important step to bringing foreign workers to fill critical jobs inside the US But to quickly help the American economy, the Biden Administration must make sure that approved foreign workers are actually able to enter the US.
The contributions foreign workers make to the United States are staggering. Consider just H-1B visa holders. Every year, H-1B visa holders$76.7 billion back into the economy, spending three-quarters of that money on businesses in their communities alone. H-1B visa holders also invest more than $12 billion annually in US businesses, which fuels innovation and research.
And even though H-1B visas are capped at a mere 85,000 a year, for every two H-1B visas that are issued, the US government creates four more jobs for US-born workers. By themselves, H-1B visa holders are not just spenders and investors, but job creators as well. The simplest and quickest fix would be to allow consulates to issue visas and waive the requirement for in-person interviews altogether. Although the Administration has expanded the ability of consular officers to waive certain in-person interviews, this does not universally apply to everyone. However, it should.