Maybe if it were not for the bald eagle, a domestic bird could have been the US national animal. Perhaps the popularity of poultry is the genesis of the “Why did the chicken cross the road” joke, and I kid you not, today, migrants are crossing the seas to work in US poultry farms.
You would understand that poultry was beyond a protein supply in the US when Former President D. Roosevelt’s “Chicken in Every Pot” speech went viral. Poultry is not just an agricultural sector, it is a political manifesto, it is an industry on its own, poultry is America.
To make the American poultry perspective even more thrilling, in the state of Georgia, it is still illegal for chickens to cross the road, in this case, poultry workers in Georgia are also saddled with ensuring the chickens are well raised. Now let’s talk about the more serious aspects of poultry in the US, like working in poultry farms for foreigners and associated visa sponsorships.
The Essential Aspect of Poultry in the US and Why Jobs in the sector qualifies for Visa sponsorship
Certainly, you may have heard about KFC; well if you haven’t, it is one of the world’s biggest places to munch on delicious chicken. Poultry is essential to every nation but poultry defines the United States.
Despite the general recognition of the importance of poultry in the country, given the large number of more profitable ventures in the US, not many citizens are interested in working in poultry farms.
Apparently, while poultry provides us with some of the most beneficial food known to humankind in the form of chicken and eggs, poultry farm works are not the most attractive jobs out there. Noting how important poultry is to the US society, the gap in farm employee supply has to be filled, in most cases, migrants become the most feasible option in filling up the vacancies hence a friendly immigration approach towards potential poultry workers seeking to cross over to the US.
Visa sponsorship as regards poultry jobs in the US
The rules are less in the farms but you first need to get through the immigration and employment procedures before getting to the US. To cross over that stage, one must follow existing procedures.
The first aspect of migrating to the US as a poultry worker is to secure a visa sponsorship. This is a visa model designed to migrate employees into the US. In the case of poultry workers, such individuals must have been employed by a US-based poultry establishment that’s ready to sponsor such foreigners’ migration.
The entire procedure is known as employment visa sponsorship. But poultry workers are not the only people eligible for visa sponsorship neither is employment visa sponsorship the only visa sponsorship model. Family visa sponsorship also exists. This is usually applicable when a family needs to be migrated into the US. You can acquire additional knowledge on visa sponsorship here while we continue on visa sponsorship for poultry workers.
Responsibilities regarding poultry worker migration to the US
A country that works must be guided by rules. While poultry farming remains essential, it doesn’t mean that just about anybody can migrate to the US to work on farms. Individuals hoping to move to the US to work in poultry farms must understand that certain provisions must be observed by applicants and poultry establishments hoping to migrate workers. Even when the entity migrating workers may be third-party staffing companies, these responsibilities still apply.
Responsibilities of the sponsor while migrating poultry workers
- Support: The old saying “not to count your chicken before they hatch” is even more real in poultry farming-motivated migration. Before migrant workers begin to earn enough that can sustain such workers in the US, they need to be provided with some basic needs. These include, shelter, and may extend to food, medications, and others. With likely no family in the US, the sponsor is in a position to provide such support.
- Guidance: A poultry worker won’t spend all the time in the farm, even if no one is watching in the farms, once the worker has to step into the society, rules apply. Such poultry workers should be properly informed about the regulations of the US society and expected to abide by them. When employers fail to inform the employees, it can cause the employer to be the focus of the law’s eyes.
- Guarantee employees’ effectiveness: Poultry farm work is advancing and the effectiveness of workers may now rely on their ability to handle some machines. Apart from machines, Poultry work can be delicate and requires individuals with the right temperament. It is important for employers to screen potential migrant poultry workers effectively.
- Follow other visa sponsorship rules.
Responsibilities for migrating poultry worker
- Provide essential immigration documents: Applicant must satisfy immigration screening and procedures by providing the following.
1. Passport
2. Passport photo
3. Birth certificate
- Provide essential work requirements and qualifications documents
1. Provide a document authenticating educational accomplishment
2. Provide proof of language efficiency. In some cases, this may require an excellent IELTS score.
3. Provide a detailed account of your experience through a CV or Resume
4. Present a valid employment contract: The contract may be oral but written contacts drive home the point better.
- Provide essential security requirements:
1. Provide authentic and recent police character assessment certificate
2. Provide security clearance if needed
- Provide required health and other safety information.
Eligibility Criteria
Most leading poultry farms in the US have various branches. Depending on the farm or even the department you will be working on in a given farm, eligibility criteria may vary. It is also important to understand that each poultry farm employer may have variations in their eligibility. Below are some common criteria that poultry farm employers look out for in potential employees:
- Understanding of basic animal health: Poultry just like other life forms experiences ill health. When this happens they need to be treated. Sometimes they may need medications or vaccinations. Potential poultry farmers may need basic animal (poultry) healthcare knowledge.
- Passion for poultry: Most times the end product of a poultry farm may be eggs, meat, and even manure. Some poultry farms also operate a hatchery. Whether poultry is raised directly as food or for other purposes, passion for animals is important in poultry farming. Potential migrant farmers must not be individuals capable of animal cruelty.
- Experience: Depending on what aspect of the poultry farm that potential migrant poultry worker may be employed, prior experience is important. Experience in farm records keeping, feeding, and caring for domestic birds is crucial. Employees must possess adequate experience in the sector of employment.
- Know how to use poultry farm equipment: In the United States, everything is experiencing a revamp. Technology is also gradually penetrating the poultry sector. Individuals working in poultry farms must have learned or are ready to learn how emerging poultry farming technologies work. They must be able to use and maintain automatic drinkers and other similar equipment. Depending on whether the farm is processing its products or not, understanding packaging is also crucial to success in poultry farm jobs.
- Understand the fragility of poultry animals: Birds raised on a farm can be fragile. This is especially the case in broilers which constitute over 60% of all US poultry output. Individuals working in poultry farms must understand the delicate nature of these birds and must ensure that water, vaccines, food, and medications are provided in time.
Benefits of farm Poultry Work in the US
- Judicious Pay: Determining US poultry workers’ salaries beforehand will be complex. Different farm establishments maintain different salary structures. Apart from that, different departments in farm establishments have different salaries. Menial or unskilled poultry jobs may earn around $17.5 while experts like veterinary doctors may earn an average of $23 per hour.
- Time flexibility: If there’s one thing most farm workers are appreciative of, it is the job’s time flexibility. Poultry farm jobs can be quicker, slower, and done at a convenient time; so far, workers do it in a way that the well-being of birds is not hampered.
- Likely insurance: Insurance is like an emerging tradition in the US where so many things are no longer guaranteed. Employers deploy insurance as an attractive mechanism to ensure workers’ supply. Apart from the attractiveness of insurance coverage, the poultry business can be risky as such, insurance is common and often it extends to workers.
- Potential discount on purchase of workplace products: Poultry products are a healthy supply of vital nutrients. Workers need these products too. Often they get them at their workplace where occasional discount happens.
- Contributing to an essential sector: Agriculture sustains human life. Individuals engaging in poultry farm jobs are contributing immensely to humanity. Their impacts are worth appreciating and celebrating.
- Accommodation: Poultry farms usually include farmhouses. This is important as close watch on the birds at all times is crucial to performance. Workers can find these houses useful.
How one can secure poultry farm work in the US while in one’s home country
To secure a job in the US before, one must have been there or have reliable contacts. The trend is changing today and remote job application is now possible. Follow these steps to secure a poultry farm job in the US.
- Find poultry establishments on social media: No business that wants to thrive can ignore social media today. Even poultry farms are not an exception. Several poultry establishments in the US use social media as a means of marketing their products and communicating with customers.
You can take advantage of the remote power of social media to secure employment in such poultry farms with an online presence. This can be done by following their handles and checking for updates on vacancies and other publications. Usually, application instruction mostly follows such publications.
- Try staffing establishments: Staffing establishments are also a reliable means of securing visa sponsorship. Enterprises do approach such staffing establishments to supply their workforce. This is where such dedicated establishments like Indeed and Robalt Half are instrumental. Several of these staffing agencies and other enterprises run dedicated websites.
Apart from their websites, professional platforms like Linked In are also fertile ground for meeting and connecting with staffing agencies and other potential employers.
- Search and traditional media: When discovery is the focus, it is tough to separate search engines and traditional media houses. Initially, searches were not very relevant to print media which used to dominate traditional media. But today with digitization growing, most traditional media now have copies of the publication on the internet.
Locals still patronize such media houses for vacancy advertisements. Through search, you can find such traditional publishers and even valuable information about vacancy advertisers. From there you may proceed to learn more about potential employers and the application procedure.
Visa consideration
We are hoping that you will be lucky to secure a job at a poultry farm either with the firms that we shall list later or other poultry establishments that sponsor visas. When that happens, you will determine the suitable Visa class given your qualifications and employment department.
Ordinarily, a H-2A visa will be effective in migrating most of the menial aspects of the poultry farm work. However, some poultry establishments employ individuals with a university degree in veterinary medicine and other areas crucial to the poultry business.
It is important to work this stage out with your employer to decide the best visa class for you. Consulting an immigration expert for advice will also be vital.
US Poultry establishments that sponsor visas
- Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation: As a popular provider of protein in the US, poultry is undeniably a big sector. Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation is a huge player in the industry. The corporation also sponsors visas for qualified migrants who secure employment in the firm. You can learn more about jobs at Pilgrim’s Pride here.
- Tyson Foods: Being one of the world’s biggest producers of poultry means a higher load. To meet up with such a load, Tyson Foods usually seeks out additional workers outside the United States. Such migrant workers may benefit from their visa sponsorship. Learn more about vacancies at Tyson Foods.
- Sanderson farms: When poultry consumption is in focus, chicken seems to be the most popular and Sanderson Food is excellent in what they do; however, such excellence usually requires a sufficient workforce. Often there’s a poultry worker shortage in the US and farmers look elsewhere. Learn about careers at Sanderson Food here.
- Peco Foods: The US poultry market is a huge one. Even with a collection of globally renowned poultry establishments, poultry import is still huge. Among the leading poultry enterprises in the US is Peco Food. They sponsor visas as well. You can check for vacancies in the firm here.
Conclusion
Food is important to all society; in the US, poultry is a prioritized source of protein. Meeting the poultry work demand often overwhelms locals. Farmers usually outsource their workers which they migrate through visa sponsorship. You can take advantage of that and migrate to the US.