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The Migration Industry and the H‐2 Visa in the United States: Employers, Labour Intermediaries, and the State
Author(s) -
Anderson Joseph Trawicki
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international migration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.681
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1468-2435
pISSN - 0020-7985
DOI - 10.1111/imig.12552
Subject(s) - intermediary , variety (cybernetics) , business , state (computer science) , work (physics) , private sector , inclusion (mineral) , labour economics , economics , economic growth , finance , sociology , engineering , mechanical engineering , gender studies , algorithm , artificial intelligence , computer science
Research on the migration industry has demonstrated the wide variety of roles played by private actors in international migration. However, so far little of this work has attempted to quantitatively measure the size and composition of these industries within particular migration schemes. Using the case of the H‐2 temporary working visa in the US, this article looks to better understand the prevalence, impact, and dynamics of the private labour intermediaries that offer services to US employers looking to hire workers from abroad. Using data from applications to hire foreign workers made to the US Department of Labor, this article finds that private intermediaries are extensively involved. Their broad inclusion raises questions of public and private authority in the visa programme, as the use of private intermediaries becomes necessary for employers to access and navigate the state institutions that oversee the programme.