On August 8, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a strict warning targeting the foreign nationals who may have entered the country on an employment visa and violated immigration laws.
How Did This Happen?
Not only that, the USCIS even cited a real-life example of an individual who was supposed to be working in Florida on an H2A visa but failed to report to his employer.
This is just offering a glimpse of the final endgame which will result in legal consequences.
The official USCIS page on X displayed the US’ strict warning for employment visa holders saying, “Aliens who enter the US on an employment visa but fail to report to their designated employer or leave the job without returning to their home country are in violation of immigration laws and will face legal consequences.”
A person on an H2A visa did not report back to their employer in Florida and was eventually found by the officials in Fresno, a city in California as divulged by the authorities.
Fear Of Deportation
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken over this case for now.
But, the individual may even end up facing deportation down the line, considering the ICE’s streak for such instances.
Further, the photo card attached to the tweet mentioned, “You are responsible for following the terms of your visa. If you violate them, you can be removed from the US.”
When it comes to the H-2A visa, it is meant for temporary agricultural workers.
Basically, this program allows American employers or agents “who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals” to the country and enlist them for temporary agricultural jobs as per the official USCIS website.
The companies who are employing such individuals must file Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, on a prospective employee’s behalf.
Prior to this, the USCIS has issued a firm warning for foreign nationals in the country on work visas.
In order to qualify for the H-2A classification, the petitioner filing the application must ensure that the job they are offering is a temporary or seasonal one.
Besides this, the employers must have the proof to back that there are not enough US workers who may be “able, willing, qualified, and available to do the temporary work.”
The official website also notes the petitioner must “show that employing H-2A workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed US workers.”
