US approves 15,000 visas for temporary workers

The US government is going to issue 15,000 visas to temporary seasonal workers to provide labour for American businesses.

In a statement issued on Monday, the department of homeland security (DHS) said the decision is as a result of labour shortage.

According to a statement made available to Reuters, John Kelly, US secretary of homeland security, and Alexander Acosta, labour secretary, found out that there were not enough qualified and willing American workers to perform temporary nonagricultural work.

“As a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to supporting American businesses, DHS is providing this one-time increase to the congressionally set annual cap,” he said.

“Temporary workers at seasonal resorts as well as in landscaping, seafood harvesting and processing are among those eligible.”

Kelly, who in May said he planned to grant additional visas, received approval from congress to authorise additional visas.

Many businesses and members of congress have pleaded with Kelly to issue the visas, citing an urgent need for workers.

The department of homeland security said the government had created a new tip line to report any abuse of the visas or employer violations.

During his campaign, President Donald Trump had promised to put American workers first and curtail migration rate to the country.

Since he assumed office, Trump has tried to reduce migration to the country by placing a travel ban on some countries.