Congressman Smucker Reintroduces Non-Farm Seasonal Worker Visa Bill

Seeking to address geographical and seasonal shortages of construction tradespeople in the American workforce, Congressman Lloyd Smucker (R.Pa.) has reintroduces his “Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act” as H.R. 1740. The legislation would create a visa classification of H-2C nonimmigrant visas for foreign skilled non-farm workers without college degrees to fill jobs during seasons and in locations where American workers are not available to be hired.

Employers hiring workers from outside the country under the program would have to demonstrate their inability to hire American citizens with the needed skills, and workers hired under the program would have to return to their home countries once unemployment of American citizens in the relevant occupation reached specified levels. Smucker introduced an essentially identical bill in the last Congress, but the legislation never made it out of committee.