(The Center Square) – A new proposed rule that will build up charges for nonimmigrant work visas through a mean of 225% has come beneath fireplace from a bipartisan staff of congressional contributors.
The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposed the new rule on Jan. 4 that will name for an build up to utility charges for H-2A and H-2B visas because of staffing shortages, longer processing instances, and asylum requests the group is going through amid a national employee scarcity.
According to the release, employers lately pay $460 as a petition fee for simply making use of for an H-2A or H-2B visa for a possible visitor employee. Under the Jan. 4 rule proposal, that fee would build up to $1,080 and $1,090 for named H-2A and H-2B petitions.
In addition, in step with the discharge, employers would additionally need to pay an extra $600 fee for all petitions for screening and asylum processing. The fee will increase would see employers paying $1,680 and $1,690 for visitor employee visas.
The bipartisan staff, led through U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-WV, and Mike Rounds, R-SD, stated the brief visas are “critical” for assisting small companies around the nation that can’t fill jobs with native candidates. The staff additionally stated the larger charges would have detrimental affects on small companies across the nation.
“We strongly support making sure our law enforcement agencies have the necessary resources to protect our borders,” the senators stated in a observation. “We are alarmed, however, that the fee increases will be particularly burdensome for small businesses relying on H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant visas to meet their workforce needs.
“As you know, we are at a time when many in our country suffer from a severe labor shortage and persistent inflation. It is irresponsible to so drastically increase the price to access these essential guest worker programs while doing nothing to increase their availability.”
Manchin and Rounds are joined through Sens. Angus King, I-ME; Mike Crapo, R-ID; Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH; James Risch, R-ID; Kyrsten Sinema, I-AZ; Mark Kelly, D-AZ; Ben Ray Luján, D-NM; and John Hickenlooper, D-CO.
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