H-2A Visas for White South African Workers Have Surged 1,300% Since 2011

H-2A visas for white South African workers have surged 1,300% since 2011

The country's H-2A program has grown in popularity as a response to farm labor shortages. Between 2018 and 2023, the number of applications for H-2A workers increased by 72%, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Screenshot taken Nov. 15, 2024, GAO official YouTube channel (Credit: Ben Felder / Investigate Midwest)Every year, hundreds of thousands of foreign workers come to the U.S. to fill temporary agricultu…

H-2A visas for white South African workers have surged 1,300% since 2011 - Investigate Midwest

Every year, hundreds of thousands of foreign workers come to the U.S. to fill temporary agricultural labor shortages through the H-2A program — a system first introduced in 1986 to address shortages in farmwork.  From 2011 to 2024, the use of the program grew more than 400%, with nearly 90% of visas going to workers from Mexico.  But the fastest-growing group is from South Africa – and predominantly white, according to private and federal lawsui…