The Application Process

The primary function of the SNAKE RIVER FARMERS' ASSOCIATION (SRFA) is to provide guidance to its member employers who wish to apply for temporary alien agricultural labor certification for the purpose of employing H-2A workers on a temporary or seasonal basis.

In late December of each year, the Association mails a "Certification Packet" to all active members. his packet includes the necessary information-gathering tools needed in order to make applications to the Department of Labor on their behalf. As much as possible these forms are grouped according to grower's dates-of-need and are then filed as "master applications" containing multiple growers. The H-2A application for Certification is considered notice to the U.S. Department of Labor that:

  1. Sufficient ers are not available to fill the employer's job opportunities
  2. That the terms and conditions of employment under which the aliens are employed will not adversely affect U.S. workers similarly employed.
The application should be filed 60 calendar days before the employer's date-of-need. Active recruitment of U.S. workers then begins and continues throughout the following 60 days. During this time, SRFA is required to advertise and actively search for able, willing and qualified U.S. workers to fill these positions. Also during this time, SRFAmust be able to provide documentation to the Regional Administrator that the employers involved in the application have met the housing and worker's compensation requirements.

Twenty days prior to the employer's date-of-need, the DOL makes a determination based upon the availability of U.S. workers (the total number of workers needed less the number of qualified U.S. workers found to be available).

Once the Labor Department has granted certification, SRFA requests the State Department to grant visas and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to admit alien workers to fill the available positions. While "active" recruitment (the advertising and searching for workers) for each employer ends when his alien workers have left their place of residence, it is important to remember that employers filing as an association remain obligated until 50% of the contract period has elapsed to continue to hire able, willing and qualified U.S. workers. Many of these U.S. workers are referred to the irrigator job order and are screened by the SRFA and then placed with participating growers within the Association.