Final answer:
Guest workers are foreign-born workers allowed to live in the U.S. temporarily. Skilled workers can be sponsored by employers due to their specialized abilities. Immigration policy discussions revolve around balancing labor needs with protections and considerations for pathways to legal status.
Step-by-step explanation:
Foreign-born workers who are allowed to live in the United States temporarily are known as guest workers. Companies seeking to hire guest workers must prove that domestic labor cannot meet their needs and that employing foreign workers will not negatively impact the wages of native-born workers. This aspect of immigration is often contentious, highlighting differing perspectives on the impact of immigrant labor in the U.S. economy. Many foreign-born workers come to the U.S. on a temporary basis as part of employment-based visa programs, particularly when employers can demonstrate that their skills are in short supply among U.S. workers. Such programs aim to balance the needs of businesses with protections for domestic labor.
On the one hand, there are high-skilled immigrant workers who often obtain sponsorship from employers and come to the U.S. under the premise that they will contribute significantly to economic growth without draining government services. On the other hand, undocumented immigrants commonly find themselves in low-wage jobs, with few opportunities for advancement without risking deportation. In addition to legal permanent residents and citizens, the U.S. is also home to a significant number of undocumented immigrants. However, there is a general consensus among the U.S. population that high-skilled immigrants are valuable, and many are in favor of immigration reform that includes paths to legal status and ultimately citizenship for undocumented immigrants.