House bill seeks to expand H-2A farmworker visas beyond seasonal use

A bill introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson would expand the H-2A visa program by removing its seasonal requirement while keeping the visas temporary, with a maximum stay of 350 days per year. The legislation would open the program to dairy, livestock, forestry and aquaculture employers and would establish a process for some workers currently in the United States without authorization to obtain H-2A visas.

It would not create a path to permanent legal status.

Program growth and current limits Use of H-2A visas rose from 62,743 in 2012 to nearly 400,000 in 2025. Florida, Georgia, California, Washington and North Carolina account for just over half of all certifications. The program supplies temporary foreign workers, primarily from Mexico, for seasonal crop work. Dairies and other year-round operations have historically been excluded.

, told reporters the bill addresses needs of farmers, ranchers and foresters even though immigration legislation falls under the House Judiciary Committee. Labor groups oppose expansion without a legalization pathway. Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers, said employers prefer to bring workers on visas rather than hire citizens and legal residents already in the country.

Shannon Lederer, immigration policy director at the AFL-CIO, said the organization supports reform rather than expansion of work-visa programs. Farmers say the program is necessary because an estimated half of crop farmworkers lack authorization. Martin Durban, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, cited a Congressional Budget Office report projecting a decline in the working-age population.