US senators fight to bring J-1 visa workers back to - TopicsExpress



          

US senators fight to bring J-1 visa workers back to Alaska... Alaska processors are running on fewer workers this year due to the alteration of the J-1 visa program last year, but US senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski introduced two amendments on Friday that would bring those workers back. The amendments, now part of the Senate’s immigration bill S. 744, cleared one legislative hurdle on Friday and are set to face a key vote on Monday. The move creates a “clear, fair process for employers to hire foreign employees for temporary seasonal work when necessary,” Begich said. J-1 visas are short term, four-month visas that Begich says were a “good fit” for Alaska’s seafood industry. However, these were excluded from the program last year on concerns that Alaska’s seafood sector did not actually fit the intentions of the bill, which are in part to provide a cultural exchange experience for foreigners. The industry tends to require long shifts from their workers. The new language in the bill reinstates seafood workers into the bill and also identifies the Alaska fish processing sector as a shortage occupation, expediting the industry’s ability to recruit seasonal workers outside the US. “I’m pleased with this ‘belt and suspenders’’ approach to addressing the seafood industry guest worker needs,” said Sen. Begich. “With these amendments, Alaska’s senators were able to preserve the traditional J-1 program while making sure Alaska seafood is also included in the new W program, which is really the way of the future for dealing with guest workers.”
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 19:58:03 +0000

Trending Topics



Recently Viewed Topics




© 2015