Rising costs are taking a toll on the number of H-2A visa workers.
Nearly 385,000 positions were filled last year. For the second year in a row H-2A visas grew by less than 2% across the country, a notable slowdown after a decade of booming growth.
Sixteen states actually saw a drop in H-2A workers numbers last year— Florida, California, and Michigan were among them.
The three states are in the top 10 of H-2A program usage.
The American Farm Bureau Federation says that growing fees, expenses, and regulatory burdens are to blame.
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