Visa Changes Start Monday

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Apr. 20, 2012) -- Employers who use the H-2B visa temporary guest worker program will be required to follow new procedures starting on Monday, April 23, 2012.

These changes are the result of a Department of Labor (DOL) final rule that was issued on February 21, 2012.

Owners and trainers in the Thoroughbred industry employ H-2B workers when they are unable to secure American workers to fill semi-skilled jobs at racetracks.

Among other changes under the new rule, H-2B employers must:
·         Pay for most inbound and outbound travel for H-2B workers, including daily subsistence expenses.
·         Extend H-2B program benefits to U.S. “corresponding workers” who work alongside H-2B workers and perform substantially the same work.
·         Demonstrate and not merely attest that they have taken specific steps to recruit U.S. workers.
·         Increase the amount of time spent recruiting U.S. workers.
·         Define temporary need as 9 months (previously 10 months).
·         Define full time employment as 35 hours per week (previously 30 hours).

“While these are challenging times on Capitol Hill for immigration reform, the NTRA is actively pursuing ways to address the negative consequences of the new H-2B rules,” said Alex Waldrop, NTRA President and CEO.

To learn more about the H-2B visa program, including the new final rule, fact sheets that explain the changes and a comparison between the 2008 and 2012 rules, click here. http://www.dol.gov/whd/immigration/H2BFinalRule/index.htm