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Yet another industry soon to join the ranks of “jobs Americans won’t do.”
Quote:
Sandi Zirbel has seen an influx of immigrants on dairy farms in Wisconsin firsthand. As the co-owner of a 635-cow dairy cooperative in the town of Glenmore, Zirbel said immigrants frequently come looking for work.
Just 10 years ago, 5 percent of workers on Wisconsin dairy farms were immigrants. By 2008, that number jumped to 40 percent, or more than 5,000 workers, according to a 2009 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Program on Agricultural Technology Studies. Those immigrants are changing the face of the state's signature industry, while bringing increasing diversity and social challenges to the state's rural areas.
As Wisconsin dairy farmers hire more immigrants, they face mounting pressure to ensure their workforce is competent, skilled, and above all, legal. Experts say farmers are often caught in a "don't ask, don't tell" web of federal employment regulations, with a strong incentive to know as little as possible about the legal status of their workers.
There isn't a limit on agricultural visas -- there is no real reason for this labor to be illegal unless the farm owner is trying to get around legal wages and labor laws.
There isn't a limit on agricultural visas -- there is no real reason for this labor to be illegal unless the farm owner is trying to get around legal wages and labor laws.
Bingo! So much for the cries "but who will pick our fruits and veggies".
There is currently no annual cap on visas for H-2A workers.
Steps
The first step is to apply for a Temporary Labor Certification from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). You must meet all requirements of the DOL, and you must prove that there are no U.S. workers available for the proposed position(s). After approval of the application, you must attempt to recruit eligible U.S. individuals for the proposed positions. After the recruitment process is complete, the DOL will subtract the number of accepted U.S. workers from the requested amount of H-2A workers. If no U.S. workers were able to be recruited, you will be eligible to apply for your requested amount of visas. You will then petition for the agreed amount of H-2A Visas with USCIS. After approval of this petition, foreign workers may apply to the consulate in their home nations.
Imagine that -- and there are no limits on the numbers of workers one can bring in this way.
There are already many ways for people to come here and work here legally.
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