Paperwork Reduction for Farmers Act

Paperwork Reduction for Farmers Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit multiple employers to submit a joint petition to import nonimmigrant H-2A visa temporary agricultural workers. Upon approval of such petition, each joint employer shall be subject to the Act's H-2A provisions with respect to each alien listed in the petition.

The period of authorized H-2A admission may not exceed the shorter of three years or the contract period.

An employer seeking to rehire H-2A workers who previously worked for the employer as H-2A workers at any time during the most recent 12-month period may submit a simplified petition, to be developed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), which shall include a certification that the employer maintains compliance with all applicable employment requirements. Such petitions shall be approved upon completion of applicable security screenings.

An employer may apply for workers with staggered start and end dates in the same application.

An employer that has received a request for evidence from the CIS may request that such evidence request be delivered in an online format. The CIS, within three days of the employer's submission of evidence, shall: (1) provide an online response indicating whether the evidence is sufficient; and (2) if the evidence is insufficient, shall provide evidence thereof and an opportunity for the employer to address the deficiencies.