2014- Maria Mejia-Opaciuch is senior counsel at Carlton Fields Jorden Burt’s Miami office.
In the past 17 months, the Trump administration has issued far-reaching executive orders (EOs) that require the U.S. government agencies overseeing immigration to shift their focus from assisting immigrants to making it harder for them to remain in the United States. Although no new laws or regulations have been passed, the effects of the policy changes reflected in the EOs are real and ongoing. These changes will have a particularly significant impact on the construction industry given its historical and wide use of undocumented workers as well as foreign nationals.
Work Visas
Changes resulting from the EOs include those related to the processing, review, and eventual issuance of work visas; and to the entry process at U.S. borders and airports. There are increased vetting procedures at both the stateside U.S. Citizenship and Immigration offices and the U.S. consulates overseas. Applications are being questioned more rigorously, and the issuance of work visas or green cards will be delayed, making it harder for foreign nationals to work in the United States legally.
