PLAINFIELD, Ill. – A suburban Chicago landscape contractor who was having trouble finding seasonal help recently told The Plainfield Sun (Ill.) that with H-2B visas he can now easily fill those positions with Mexican workers without worrying about their legal status.
"Someone could give me their credentials, but it was hard to tell whether they were real or not," Jeffrey Korhan, president of Plainfield-based Treemendous Landscape Co. told the Sun. "If you have people working for you who weren't legal, then you may get a visit from the immigration department."
H-2B visas are difficult to obtain, Korhan says. His application process began late last year, which allowed him to bring workers in from Mexico legally in 2004, The Sun reports.
Korhan had as many as 16 workers on H-2B visas working for him this year. Korhan says various fees, including those for applications and consultants to aid him through the process, cost him slightly more than $4,000, according to The Sun.
The process is stringent, Korhan says. Companies seeking foreign workers must prove that they made some attempt to advertise their jobs to Americans, which he did by placing ads in regional publications.
On the flip side, foreign workers applying for work in the United States on H-2B visas have to agree to work under the conditions outlined by a prospective employer. In most cases, though, working conditions and pay are much better than what Mexican workers could find in their home country, Korhan says.
Though the process was lengthy, Korhan says it was worth it.
"The H-2B program has been around for a while," he says. "But I think it does give us people who have stronger commitment to their work because they are leaving their families behind."
On average, a Treemendous Landscape Co. employee starts out at $8 an hour, Korhan says. Korhan also pays for some medical and uniform costs and helps foreign workers find housing.
He gives raises to individuals based on performance and will pay people a higher hourly rate based on their experience.
As a business owner, Korhan understands the importance of keeping employees motivated.
"The Mexican workers we hire are happy to be here and working here," Korhan says. "I know that we are treating all of our workers well and hope that by treating them well that they will come back and work for us again."
He says work-force investment is important for any business. An experienced work force can hit the ground running, while an inexperienced crew will require training and time to learn methods and procedures.
Since Korhan had success with the H-2B program, he already has started the paper work to bring crews in from Mexico next year.
"I've been very pleased with it," he says.