On Thursday, December 22, 2011, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration issued a notice to announce the new wage rates for temporary and seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers in the U.S. under the H-2A visa program. These wage rates, known as the Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs), provide guidance regarding the minimum amount that foreign seasonal workers here on the H-2A visa program must be paid for their work so that the wages of similarly employed U.S. citizens will not be adversely affected.

The notice took effect on December 22; wage rates can be seen at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-22/pdf/2011-32842.pdf.