International Labor Management Corp., a firm that facilitates the H-2B guest-worker visa program process for employers, was indicted on 41 counts of visa fraud last month in the U.S. District Court in Greensboro, N.C., the Washington Post reports.
Many landscape companies and other seasonal businesses use the H-2B program to legally employ foreign workers during their peak seasons.
Federal officials say International Labor falsified applications to obtain more worker visas than were needed and dispensed them to companies that had not qualified to use the foreign employees. The company, through its attorney, has denied the allegations.
In addition to sourcing a representative of the National Guestworker Alliance as saying abuse of the program is common, the article quotes Craig Regelbrugge, senior vice president for industry advocacy and research at AmericanHort. He said the majority of companies that use foreign workers or act as procurement agents follow the rules.
“But there are a few bad apples, and the bad apples hurt everybody,” he said.
For the full article, visit the the Washington Post’s website.
