The NPPC has recently submitted comments to the US State Department, calling for a more standardized adjudication process for TN visas for hog farm jobs.

Created under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the TN visa allows Canadian and Mexican professionals to temporarily fill specific job openings in the United States. It is used widely in the swine industry as a way to source qualified and competent labor for farm jobs.

NPPC has received reports that eligible applicants have been denied entry into the country for no cause and cannot appeal such decisions. Other evidence suggests applicants have been rejected because of subjective interpretations of having “sufficient ties” to their home country and about their intent to return to it. The NPPC reports that in one case, a veterinarian with a clinic in Mexico was denied a TN visa and told the decision was final.

NPPC also made the State Department aware of a dramatic increase in audit calls to employers from visa processing officials, which delayed the disposition of visa applications by several months.