Those foreigners on a work visa in the US and have lost their jobs due to the pandemic might have to leave the country if they fail to find "similar jobs". This is because foreigners are "not entitled to receive unemployment benefits" in America.

A New York Times report says that foreigners are ineligible for unemployment doles even though they pay taxes.

"The lives of tens of thousands of foreign workers on skilled-worker visas, such as H-1Bs, have been upended by the economic fallout from the Covid-19 crisis. Many have been waiting in a backlog for several years to obtain permanent legal residency through their employer, and now face the prospect of deportation," the report adds.

The report predicts that the Trump administration might actually stop the issuance of new work visas (read H-1B and H-2B) soon enough.

New measures that "eliminate a program that enables foreign graduates of American universities to remain in the country and work" are under consideration.

With American job-seekers themselves left in the lurch, protectionist moves like these are only to be expected.