The White House is reviewing a final Labor Department regulation that would update the H-2A foreign guest worker program. The proposal would no longer require that employers advertise openings in newspapers before hiring a guest worker. Instead, the jobs could be posted online for 14 consecutive days.  Also under review in a separate rule is the H-2A visa labor certification process.

Animal agriculture has been limited in its ability to use the H-2A program because it is limited to seasonal labor. However, an amendment to the bill funding homeland security in the House of Representatives would allow year-round use of H-2A. The proposal would have to be approved by both the House and Senate and signed by the president before taking effect.