22K Additional H-2B Visas Available for Second Half of Fiscal Year

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor issued a joint temporary final rule published Tuesday in the Federal Register that offers 22,000 additional H-2B visas to employers for the second half of the federal fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2021. The visas, used by employers such as racehorse trainers seeking seasonal guest workers, are capped at 66,000 annually, with an even split of 33,000 available for each half of the federal government's fiscal year. Six thousand of these supplemental visas will be reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

“The 22,000 H-2B visas offered through this rule issued by the DHS and DOL will be helpful to employers who rely on the H-2B visa program, including trainers, but many more of these visas are ultimately required to satisfy the need,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “For that reason, the NTRA, through its involvement in the H-2B Workforce Coalition, supports additional relief from the burdensome annual H-2B visa cap through a permanent returning worker exemption.”

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program which trainers rely heavily on to fill various backside positions. Demand for H-2B visas often exceeds their availability and the cap level is quickly reached, leaving employers in need. Employers can find eligibility and filing details here.

The post 22K Additional H-2B Visas Available for Second Half of Fiscal Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Weaver Pays Over $400K In Earnings, Civil Penalties Related To Labor Laws, H-2B Visa Program

Trainer George Weaver has agreed to pay $325,431 in owed wages to employees and $99,567 in civil penalties related to violations of labor and immigration laws, according to a report by The Miami Herald Friday.

A federal judgment states 59 employees will receive $2,548 each in what the government said was unpaid overtime pay. A portion of the penalties assessed to Weaver were for incorrect timekeeping practices, according to the report.

Several New York-based trainers have come under scrutiny by federal agencies for their employment practices in recent years, particularly timekeeping. Federal standards require employers to have an accurate timekeeping method and pay employees hourly, with a change in rate for overtime pay; this is not typically the method of payment for backstretch employees, who are more commonly paid a flat rate based on the number of days, weeks, or horses worked.

The U.S. Department of Labor also assessed penalties for what it said were violations of the federal H-2B visa program, including adherence to the program's minimum wage standards, charging employees for costs related to utilizing the program, and trying to discourage employees from reporting to federal investigators or cooperating with the proceedings.

In 2019, the Saratoga Institute on Equine, Racing, and Gaming Law touched on the topic of H-2B and wages law in an effort to correct common misconceptions about the federal requirements. You can read more about how those issues impact racing employers from our reporting here.

Read more about the recent Weaver settlement at The Miami Herald

The post Weaver Pays Over $400K In Earnings, Civil Penalties Related To Labor Laws, H-2B Visa Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights