One U.S. visa program is growing rapidly. No one is happy with it
Page 6/18

Last fall, the Labor Department issued a rule that would take housing costs out of workers' paychecks and change the way wages are calculated — effectively lowering guest workers' pay and making the program cheaper for farmers.

But farmers say more changes are needed, which is impossible without action from Congress.

Dairy, cattle and pork producers want access to the visa program. And some said they would like their current workers, who may be working illegally, to be able to access the visa.

For those who don't have access to visas, like in the dairy industry, more than half of workers are undocumented, according to some estimates . State-level estimates in places like Idaho and Wisconsin are even higher.

Last month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a memo clarifying that some dairies could access H-2A visas if they proved "seasonal" labor needs. This caught the attention of the dairy industry, which is among the groups advocating for an expansion of the visas.

Prev
Next
Back to headlines
News menu
Home