(Newswire.net — April 24, 2020) — As we all know by now, the world has come to a grinding halt. Currently, the COVID-19 outbreak has infected over 2.5 million people worldwide and is not stopping anytime soon. This unprecedented health crisis has resulted in a host of restrictions, such as physical distancing and quarantine measures. While this helps keep the world safe, which is the top priority, it has had a dramatic impact on the economy. Economic forecasters are saying that the coronavirus pandemic could result in a recession far worse than what we saw in 2008. With international travel at a standstill and immigration processing on hold, there is little to do but wait. We’ll only know the full extent that this crisis has had on the economy in the months to come.
Jean Danhong Chen is the founder of The Law Offices of Jean D. Chen, which specializes exclusively in the area of US Immigration and Naturalization law. As an expert in immigration law, Jean Danhong Chen provides insight into how the economy will be affected by the current travel and immigration ban.
Jean Danhong Chen on the Current Situation
There’s no denying the severity of the current situation the world is in. Countries across the globe have closed their borders to international travel and the United States is no exception.
The first US action regarding international travel came on January 31, when the federal government issued a proclamation that blocked any foreign national who had travelled to China in the prior 14 days from entering. This ban was rapidly expanded in the months to come, with Iran, mainland Europe, and finally the United Kingdom and Ireland being included at various stages between February 29 and March 14. In addition to points of entry by air, the US also moved to close its land borders with Canada and Mexico in mid-March.
With the exception of services deemed essential, such as medical workers or those supplying food across the border, all tourist travel across the country’s two borders has been banned. According to Jean Danhong Chen, we are witnessing the most comprehensive, health-related travel ban in the history of the United States. While this is necessary to contain the pandemic, it is likely to have grave economic consequences, not just for the United States but for the entire world.
The H-2 Visa Program
Nearly all visa applications have been suspended by the United States during this time. However, in order to keep the economy going as much as possible, one type of visa has been exempt from this suspension: the H-2 visa program. The H-2 visa program “is essential to the economy and food security of the United States and is a national security priority,” reads the U.S. Department of State website.
For those that don’t know, the H-2 visa program pertains to temporary agricultural and non-agricultural workers in the United States. Typically, these workers are hired on a seasonal or one-off basis, in sectors such as food, construction, hospitality, landscaping, or forestry, shares Jean Danhong Chen. Given their economic importance, Chen claims that H-2 visas are still being processed as much as possible. To help aid this process, the Department of Homeland Security has given consular services the authority to process certain categories of H-2 visa applicants without in-person interviews. In addition, applicants whose visas are set to expire or recently did expire, can apply for an extension and be granted one without an in-person interview.
By allowing the H-2 visa program to move forward, this is one way the U.S. government is trying to mitigate the economic fallout of the pandemic. Without these essential workers, companies would have a much harder time getting food and other necessary items to market. Although it isn’t enough to prevent the economic losses associated with the tourism industry and suspension of immigration services during this time, it can help offset these losses, as well as ensure Americans have access to necessary items.