| Many business owners employ legal foreign | | | | point at the border. |
| workers for their seasonal or intermittent | | | | |
| job openings. These people, whom their | | | | Many firms bring legal immigrants to the |
| employers describe as serious and very | | | | United States on H-2B visas and they are now |
| skilled, and who have been working with them | | | | denied the possibility to rely on seasonal |
| for many year, now find it hard to do the | | | | workers by the US Department of Labor. The |
| same thing because of the complicated process | | | | H-2B visa has been created to come to the aid |
| of obtaining an H-2B visa. This is to the | | | | of those employers that have intermittent or |
| detriment of both employer and employee, | | | | seasonal needs and who need to hire temporary |
| having the greatest impact or the former | | | | workers in order to increase their labor |
| rather than on the latter, as many | | | | force. Such employers include owners of |
| businesses, such as resorts or hospital | | | | restaurants, resorts, landscaping companies, |
| cannot function without these legal | | | | or property management firms. Panic has been |
| immigrants. | | | | created among most business owners, as the US |
| | | | Department of Labor has denied the H-2B visas |
| One of the recent immigration proposals drawn | | | | for seasonal workers. Their only hope is that |
| up by the White House refers to allowing | | | | their petitions to the US Citizenship and |
| illegal immigrants to obtain the three-year | | | | Immigration Services be approved. Even so, it |
| Z-visa and giving them the possibility to | | | | would take longer than the usual for foreign |
| continue their work after having paid fines | | | | workers to arrive in the United States, and |
| in the total amount of $ 3,500, as well as | | | | in the mean time employers would be left |
| the same amount of money for each renewal. | | | | without the people who make their business |
| Moreover, after these illegal immigrants have | | | | run. |
| passed background checks and have been | | | | |
| awarded the Z-visas, they should be given the | | | | Most business owners who are in need of |
| possibility to become legal residents and | | | | seasonal workers agree that the H-2B visa is |
| therefore eligible for citizenship, but only | | | | a wonderful program, as it fills jobs that |
| upon payment of up to $ 10,000 in penalties. | | | | can't normally be filled in the areas where |
| However, the White House proposals doesn't | | | | the labor pool is missing. Employers who want |
| allow temporary workers or Z-visa holders to | | | | to hire foreign workers must obtain a |
| bring their families to the US. This proposal | | | | temporary labor certification from the State |
| also came up with a new guest program for | | | | Workforce Agency in their area. All business |
| temporary workers, which represented to way | | | | owners must proceed carefully and start this |
| to citizenship in itself, for all illegal | | | | process early, as petitions should be |
| immigrants. | | | | evaluated at the State Workforce Agency in no |
| | | | more than thirty days, but it known that the |
| The United States Senate passed a bill in | | | | actual evaluation can take even three times |
| 2006, which is pretty much similar to the | | | | longer. Furthermore, upon completion of the |
| White House proposal, but it differs in that | | | | evaluation, petitions are forwarded to US |
| illegal immigrants had to fulfill two very | | | | Department of Labor, which should communicate |
| important conditions in order to become | | | | an answer to the petitioners within |
| permanent residents and eventually citizens. | | | | forty-five days, but they are also known to |
| These were the period of time they had to | | | | have taken a whole lot longer, claiming that |
| have spent working in the United States, | | | | the number of petitions for foreign seasonal |
| which was of at least five years, and the | | | | workers has increased substantially. |
| obligation to learn English. The Senate bill | | | | |
| demanded that those illegal immigrants who | | | | The good part is that most petitions that |
| had been in the country for less than two | | | | have been initially denied are approved when |
| years should leave. The same bill required | | | | the petitioners appeal. However, this takes a |
| immigrants who had been in the country for | | | | lot of time and affects the beginning of the |
| more than two years, but less than five, to | | | | season, so all business owners should start |
| file an application of return at an entry | | | | processing early. |