Jobs in US farms for workers in PNG

PAPUA New Guinea is one of the 52 countries eligible for temporary work programmes in the United States.
This was announced by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
That means citizens of 53 countries including PNG, Australia, Brazil, Ireland and the UK are eligible to take part in programmes that allowed them to work in temporary jobs this year in the US.
USCIS said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State, had identified the countries to take part in the H-2A and H-2B programmes.
H-2A allowed US employers to employ foreign nationals in the US to fill temporary agricultural jobs while H-2B covers temporary non agricultural jobs.
USCIS, with limited exception, approved petitions only for nationals of countries designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security as eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programmes.
The new list of eligible countries will be officially published in a Federal Register notice on Jan 18 and the designations are valid for one year from the date of publication.
The full list included Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kiribati, Latvia and Lithuania.
Also on the list are Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Nauru, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Samoa, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Vanuatu.
Of these countries, the following were designated for the first time this year: Barbados, Estonia, Fiji, Hungary, Kiribati, Latvia, Macedonia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
After considering a number of relevant factors under the governing regulations, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State have determined that Indonesia currently did not warrant a renewed designation as a participating country in the H-2A and H-2B programmes for 2011.
This new list does not affect the status of individuals who currently hold valid H-2A or H-2B visas or status, a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, when the Labour Department was contacted yesterday, chief executive manager of employment and promotion Pius Lahari said they were aware of it and work was underway to complete all documentations and ensure that all protocols were in place before they can start recruiting.
H e said they were certain about procedures to go through but he said the progress work was quite slow.
Lahari said it is a six-month contract but it may vary.