In just a few lines, the poem captures what it feels like to be a foreigner who must constantly prove he is allowed to be where he is. The title, "Guest worker," sets up a person who is welcome only as long as he is useful, and whose stay depends on paperwork. The first couplet turns the usual idea around: the speaker doesn't go looking for his papers, they find him, even "in my own house." Even at home, the speaker can't escape official scrutiny, and the word "own" hints that the place may feel like his, whatever the authorities say.
The second couplet brings in a startling image. Showing papers is compared to displaying "an old bound foot," which suggests something painful, deformed, and shaped by someone else's rules. The comparison feels humiliating and tired rather than angry. The mood is quiet, bleak, and resigned, and the short lines make the speaker's exposure feel stark and unavoidable.