Breaking: U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico Suspend Visa Processing
March 17, 2020 The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico announced yesterday that in response the COVID-19 pandemic it will suspend routine immigration and non-immigration visa services starting March 18, 2020 until further notice. The move could have a major impact on the H-2A program, which many controlled-environment greenhouse operations in the U.S. rely on for labor.
“We have been in touch with USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s s staff pressing on the essential need for H-2 workers to be processed in a safe and orderly fashion. The work they perform here is critical and in the national interest,” says Craig Regelbrugge, Senior Vice President, Industry Advocacy and Research for AmericanHort.
The situation is still very fluid as legislators and trade organizations take action to address the situation. If taken literally, the statement from the consulate suggests that non-immigrant visa processing will stop, Regelbrugge says. However, the notice speaks to “routine” processing and allows room for “emergency” processing.
“We have since heard from a major provider serving our industry that the Monterrey consulate has stated it is their intent to continue H-2 processing, albeit with additional safeguards,” Regelbrugge says. “Returning workers eligible for ‘interview waiver’ will be best positioned to move through this process in a timely fashion. That’s our expectation at the moment.”
The Consulate General in Monterrey, one of the largest consulates in the world, is reminding growers that “returning H-2 workers (IW) are applicants whose H-2A or H-2B visas have expired in the last 12 months and are now applying for the same visa classification and did not require a waiver the last time they applied for a visa. Please do not make IW appointments for first-time applicants or applicants who require an interview every year due to law enforcement or immigration violations. First-time applications will not be processed if they are submitted as returning applicants.”
In other words, the consulate is talking about prioritizing people who are eligible to have their interviews waved. However, Regelbrugge says if the consulate draws a bright line between returning workers and new ones, many employers and workers will be hurt.
“The bigger point from the AmericanHort perspective is that we need all H-2 workers to be treated as essential and expedited for emergency processing,” Regelbrugge says.
In a Message from AmericanHort, President and CEO Ken Fisher said AmericanHort requested that USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and staff keep the green industry in mind as essential agriculture as any new legislation is brought forward.
“We are monitoring relief legislation taking shape in Congress and weighing in on points of concern for our industry,” Fisher stated in the letter. “We are monitoring developments with respect to business ‘safety net’ programs administered by agencies like the Small Business Administration and the Department of Agriculture.”
One action you can take now to help with these efforts is to contact your elected state representatives who are sympathetic with the industry’s needs and let them know that H-2 workers need to be prioritized as emergency workers and to accommodate all workers that are eligible for interview waivers.
Greenhouse Grower will keep you informed on the latest developments with this story as it progresses. Please check back for updates.
Check out more COVID-19 updates affecting the controlled-environment greenhouse grower community.
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