Skip to content

This is the Only Reason Why People from South Africa can Enter the U.S.

The US State Department says that it will make exceptions to its recent travel ban on high-risk Covid countries like South Africa, for workers who meet critical skill requirements for the country’s agriculture sector. Specifically, the exemption will be made for those taking part in the H-2 visa program, which the department said is essential to the US economy and food security. The H-2 visas permit US employers to hire foreign workers to come to the United States temporarily and perform agricultural or non-agricultural services due to an expected shortage of domestic labour. Proclamation – ie, the Covid-19 travel ban, in which South Africa was specifically named – who are necessary to ensure food supply chains, will be considered for exception. The Department said that applicants who are applying for a visa will be considered for an exception at the time of interview. While a number of temporary jobs are available through the visa program, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) said that it specifically sent a letter to Secretary of State and Homeland Security requesting an exemption for South African farm labour. The ban prevents most non-US citizens from entry if they have recently been in South Africa, due to the new variant of Covid-19 which has been identified in the country.

SOURCE: BUSINESS TECH