Overhauls the farm labor system with three intertwined shifts: legalizes existing unauthorized farmworkers, restructures the H-2A temporary agricultural visa, and mandates E-Verify across the entire agricultural industry. Current farmworkers with at least 1,035 hours of agricultural work over the past two years could apply for 'Certified Agricultural Worker' status — a renewable five-year work permit — and those with 10+ years of farm-work history could later petition for a green card. The H-2A program gets a comprehensive rewrite: a single electronic platform replaces today's paper-heavy system, a new Portable H-2A visa pilot lets workers change agricultural employers without restarting the petition process, and wage rules are restructured to moderate the Adverse Effect Wage Rate volatility that employers have long objected to. Every U.S. agricultural employer — roughly 2 million farms and farm-related businesses — would be required to use E-Verify for new hires, phased in over several years, and penalties for identity fraud and document misuse would rise. USDA's Rural Housing Service programs would be expanded to preserve existing farm labor housing, fund new construction, and offer rental-assistance vouchers for farmworkers. Foreign labor recruiters working in U.S. agriculture would have to register with the federal government, with enforcement against abusive recruiters strengthened. The H-2A reforms represent a long-sought regulatory win for agricultural employers and groups like the American Farm Bureau and Western Growers Association; the E-Verify mandate creates a nationwide workplace-verification database that civil-liberties groups have long flagged as a back-door national identity system.
Corporate Benefits
- H-2A petition filing burden — Replaced with single electronic platform for agricultural employers
- H-2A visa portability — Pilot allows workers to change agricultural employers without new petition
- Adverse Effect Wage Rate volatility — Smoothed under new wage-rule structure
Average Household Impact
- Farm-labor housing funding — USDA Rural Housing Service expanded for new construction and rental vouchers
Civil Liberties
- Workplace identity verification — E-Verify required for all new hires across U.S. agriculture
- Federal employment database scope — Every agricultural new-hire screened through DHS system
- Path to legal status — Existing farmworkers with 1,035+ hours gain renewable Certified Agricultural Worker status
Criminal Justice & Due Process
- Penalties for identity-document fraud — Increased for misuse in employment context
Transparency & Accountability
- Foreign labor recruiter oversight — Federal registration required, with enforcement against abusive recruiters
Congressional Summary
This bill establishes a new certified agricultural worker (CAW) visa status for foreign farmworkers, heightens requirements under the current H-2A temporary worker program, and provides for an electronic employment eligibility verification system mandatory for the agricultural workforce.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may grant CAW status to an applying non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) who meets certain requirements, such as hours worked in agricultural labor during a specified time period and having a continuous presence in the United States.The bill establishes a path to lawful permanent resident status for those with CAW status. CAW status shall be valid for 5.5 years and may be extended. The applicant's spouse or children may receive CAW dependent status.A CAW applicant may not be detained or removed by DHS and shall be authorized for employment until DHS makes a final decision on the application.The bill also modifies the H-2A visa program, which allows employers to hire foreign workers for temporary or seasonal agricultural work. The changes include (1) requiring H-2A employers to guarantee certain minimum work hours, and (2) making the program available for agricultural work that is not temporary or seasonal.DHS must also establish an electronic system patterned on the E-Verify Program for employers to verify an individual's identity and employment authorization. Employers hiring individuals for agricultural employment must use the system.This bill permanently extends the Multifamily Housing Preservation and Revitalization program for rural and farmworker housing.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-05-07
- Date Added
- 2026-04-21
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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