Haitians barred from applying for visas for low-skilled work in U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had removed Haiti from a list of countries whose citizens are permitted to apply for low-skilled work visas, Reuters reported Wednesday night.
In a regulatory filing, DHS cited "high levels of fraud and abuse" from Haitians who use the program as well as a “high rate of overstaying the terms” from the visa recipients.
Visa overstays among Haitians in the 2016 fiscal year were around 40 percent, according to a DHS report last year.
Just a few dozen immigrants from Haiti use H-2A and H-2B visas each year, according to DHS data. Haiti was added to the list of countries whose residents are eligible to apply for the visas after a 2010 earthquake devastated the country.
Advocates of the program say the Trump administration has taken away a lifeline for struggling residents of the island nation.
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