The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), along with more than 60 agricultural groups, including the Alabama Farmers Federation, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Georgia Agribusiness Council, Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, sent a letter to the Biden Administration requesting that agricultural workers from South Africa be exempt from travel restrictions.
The “Proclamation on Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Non-immigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting Coronavirus Disease 2019” prohibits travel due to concerns over the omicron variant. The travel is specific for individuals from multiple countries, including South Africa.
“Due to ongoing workforce shortages, American farmers use the H-2A guestworker visa program to fill vacant farm positions. Many of these H-2A workers have a unique skill set, and American farmers are counting on their timely arrival as they make plans for their upcoming growing seasons,” the letter states. “The most recent data indicates that almost 7,000 of these valued essential workers originate from South Africa, and the majority of them arrive in the U.S. in February, March and April. Considering this, the State Department and Department of Homeland Security must act quickly to ensure these valuable H-2A workers can arrive on time on American farms in the coming months.”
National Interest Exception
The groups requested that H-2A workers be given a National Interest Exception, exempting them from travel limitations. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency designated that food and Ag workers are essential during the coronavirus pandemic.
The H-2A program allows U.S. employers who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as of Sept. 30, 2021, Florida and Georgia remained the top two users of the H-2A program. For the fiscal year (FY) 2021, the number of certified positions for Florida numbered 44,706, or 14.1% of the total certified in FY 2021. Georgia was second with 35,205 positions or 11.1%.
“Should H-2A visa processing not function appropriately in the H-2A workers’ home countries, the most recent travel restriction creates a scenario in which H-2A workers from countries subject to the proclamation suspending entry will travel to non-restricted countries and quarantine for 14 days in other nations that will them to enter the United States provided they are compliant with the recent vaccination and testing protocols announced last month. Given H-2A requirements that will require agricultural employers to pay travel expense for H-2A workers, farmers will bear the financial burden of paying for added travel, housing and per diems for these employees so they can eventually enter the United States. Furthermore, this approach does not curb the global spready of COVID-19 or minimize the impact of new variants around the world,” the letter added.
Click here to read the letter.