Saturday, June 29, 2013

Immigration Bill: Sweet Deals for Industry

A compromise immigration measure that would dramatically increase border security also contains provisions sought by industries that use cultural-exchange programs to recruit youngsters from overseas to work as au pairs, camp counselors and in an array of other seasonal jobs. 
One provision tucked into the deal brokered by Republican Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and John Hoeven of North Dakota, for instance, would allow Alaska's seafood processors to employ foreign youngsters on a summer-work travel program — overturning a ban the Obama administration put in place last year to protect foreign exchange students from jobs the U.S. government deems dangerous.
Another measure would designate fish processing in the state a "shortage occupation," allowing the industry to quickly hire more overseas seasonal workers under a new "W" guest-worker visa program created by the bill. Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, and Mark Begich, a Democrat, successfully pushed for the language 
[...]
The changes to the bill follow aggressive lobbying by resorts, au pair agencies and other industries that rely on the J-1 cultural-exchange visa program, which allows foreigners to enter the USA through 14 categories, ranging from interns to visiting scholars. The largest number, nearly 92,000 last year, entered as part of the summer-work travel category, federal records show. An additional 18,000 worked as camp counselors and nearly 14,000 as au pairs. 
Businesses that hire these visa holders save money because they don't have to pay unemployment taxes, Medicare or Social Security. Participants must also have their own health insurance, another cost savings... (emphasis mine)
Read the full story HERE.

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