USCIS recently notified employers to identify returning workers on their H-2B applications for FY2017. This was done in anticipation of Congress extending a provision from last year’s spending bill that exempted returning workers from the annual cap of 66,000, potentially quadrupling the number of visas given out. This would have a devastating effect on American workers with a high school education or less who have unemployment rates significantly higher than the national average. Please oppose any efforts to expand the H-2B visa program in the FY2017 spending bills.
As H-2B visas typically cover seasonal, entry-level, or unskilled jobs, these visas disproportionately harm young Americans. Increasing H-2B visa numbers would prevent thousands more young Americans from entering the workplace.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half of all working-age Americans with less than a high school degree are out of work. It’s these American workers who directly compete with H-2B visa holders for jobs.
Investigative reports have shown that businesses are more than willing to fire American workers when H-2B workers become available. It’s clear that the H-2B program, which is fraught with abuse, harms young Americans and should not be expanded. I urge you to oppose efforts to expand the program in the FY2017 spending bills.
Phone me if you would like to talk about this,
Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA
