November 24, 2015
Alert: “Liberated” 10-year work visas do not exist. Beware of recruitment fraud.
Notifying the community of Cerritos, San Luis Potosí and nearby communities! You may have seen advertisements inviting workers to pay fees of up to $4,500 USD for long-term work visas and “liberated” work visas to work in the United States.
Please be aware that:
U.S. work visas for agriculture, construction, landscaping and other industries that do not require a college degree last for less than 1 year, and require that you work for a specific employer;
It is illegal under both U.S and Mexican law for recruiters to charge workers for work opportunities; and
Recruitment fees, especially such high fees, are often signs of fraud.
There are some types of work visas that last for more than one year and that allow workers to change employers. However, these visas usually require college-level and/or graduate-level degrees and go to people in specific professions including doctors, lawyers, architects, and scientists.
Before you pay, make sure to ask the recruiter:
What type of visa you will receive (H-2A, H-2B, J-1, H-1B, TN, etc.);
Which company you will work for;
How much you will be paid; and
Where the job will be located.
Click here to learn more about U.S. work visas. Click here to read about how to avoid recruitment fraud.
If you have specific questions or need help, call Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. at 01-800-590-1773.
On November 19th, the Ayuntamiento of Cerritos published the following alert:
The names of these alleged recruiters are Elvia Díaz of EBD Documental/International Recruiting Center and Victor Ramírez of the International Recruiting Center.
If you have any further information, please share it on Contratados to help others protect themselves from fraud!
You can see Elvia Díaz’s page here, EBD Documental’s page here, and the International Recruiting Center’s page here. For instructions on how to share your experience on Contratados, click here.