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Donald Trump’s family business increased its recruitment of overseas employees on short-term work permits this year, even as his government was creating barriers for other companies wanting to do the same, a report released recently stated.

Based on data from the US Department of Labor, the Trump Organization sought to hire at least nearly 200 foreign workers in the coming year for short-term roles at the US president’s Florida property, golf facilities and his Virginia winery.

The number of applications for H-2A and H-2B visas for staff including servers, clerks, cleaning staff, kitchen staff and farm workers was the record filed by the organization, and increased from 121 in the previous term, when Trump’s first term ended.

It was also the fifth instance in a decade that the former president had sought to bring in more than 100 overseas workers for seasonal jobs at his Florida resort, according to labor statistics.

The revelation coincides with a tightening on legal immigration by his government that has included the introduction of a $100,000 fee on skilled worker visas; increased review of the actions of the millions of people who already hold US visas; and tighter regulations for international scholars and journalists.

Overall, the business aimed to employ over 560 overseas workers over the five years Trump has been in the White House, from his first term and during 2025.

Significantly, Trump was criticized by some in the GOP this period for comments defending the necessity for foreign workers when a business was unable to find people with “specific talents” to fill particular roles.

“You can’t just say a country is coming in, going to invest billions to build a plant, and going to take people off an jobless roster who haven’t worked in years, and they’re going to start producing their missiles. It isn’t feasible that well,” he stated to a interviewer after she suggested that overseas employees lower the pay of American employees.

The administration refused a request for response, and the business did not provide an answer to an request for information.