Temporary Worker Programs: A Patchwork Policy Response

This policy brief explores the complex issues surrounding temporary worker programs by looking at the ways in which the United States has responded to domestic labor shortages from the 1940s through the present. It examines the intent and structure of various temporary worker programs—including the U.S.-Mexico Bracero program from 1942 to 1964, the British West Indies program from 1943 to 1947, and modern-day nonimmigrant employment-based visa categories—and raises salient policy questions.

The analysis of both historical and existing temporary worker programs highlights dramatic variations between programs with regard to the duration of temporary workers’ stay, numerical allowances for admission, and eligibility for permanent admission. The brief argues that the current system—a complex patchwork crafted in response to specific needs and exceptions—sends mixed messages to workers and employers about the intentions of temporary work programs. The significant number of temporary workers who adjust to permanent resident status may also indicate that the temporary worker system is not truly temporary; rather, it may be a transition to permanent immigration for many workers, and a way for employers to adapt to the failures of the permanent immigration system and gain immediate access to these workers.

The author stresses the importance of properly understanding this relationship between permanent and temporary admissions, and urges policymakers to consider whether the goals of temporary worker programs writ large need to be revisited and clarified.