Facts You Should Know Before You Sign Up For An H2A Program

By Shirley Thompson


H-2A programs allow companies that specialize in agriculture to obtain reliable, adequate and legal workers for their farms. The foreign workers that apply for visas only get to work for a temporary basis and this means that farms can get assistance when they need it the most. Whether you are a potential employer or a worker in search of employment within the United States, it is crucial to have a good understanding of how the H2A program works.

There are numerous key benefits of getting an H-2A visa instead of trying to get into the country illegally. In any case, illegal immigrants cannot get legal employment because their legal status cannot be changed. If you decide to exit the country, you face the risk of being banned from returning for the next three to ten years. This means than entering the country illegally will only deprive you of dignified work opportunities.

The H-2A program offers a win-win deal for both employers in agricultural farms and foreign workers in need of employment. The employers provide temporary employment, coupled with numerous other benefits and the workers in question step in to cover for the seasonal shortage of domestic workers. For a farm to be able to legally recruit foreigners, it must first affirm that trying to find labor locally is impossible. This means that farms must first advertise locally.

Employers must continually cooperate with the State Workforce Agency. This is meant to ensure that jobs are first offered to qualified U. S. Citizens who are interested and unemployed. Whether you are the employer or foreign worker in search of employment, you also need to get well acquainted with the rules regarding wages.

Foreign employees are paid as per the Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR). This is commonly known as the prevailing wage rate in the state and the income you will get may depend highly on the position you take up within the farm. Employers on the other hand need to ascertain that H-2A programs do not have a great impact on the income of domestic employees.

For the program to work, employers are obligated to provide housing. Again, there are certain standards that must be met in order to ensure that the foreign workers lead dignified lives. Housing issues are inspected by the state Department of Health or the state Department of Labor and this will highly depend on the number of workers that need housing.

Providing proper housing is crucial. Then again, employers need to provide meals or give access to a cooking facility where the employees can prepare meals for themselves. As per the general guidelines, employers should provide housing for free, cater for transportation expenses and give a work guarantee for at least 75% of the period that a foreign worker is contracted.

Even though H2A programs are beneficial, they are also fairly complex. Most farms find it better to get help from experts who understand how things work in detail. Seeking assistance from an ideal organization will ensure that you only start the process if you are a qualified beneficiary of the program. The professionals will offer help with both the paperwork and the applications involved.




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