South Africans, what you need to know
The good stuff:
If you are an American H2-A or H2-B employer that has had South Africans as part of your team before, you would agree in most cases that they have a “Can Do” attitude, they are typically polite, speak English, often as their second language. Many are multiskilled, problem solvers - coming from farming and or business families in South Africa. They often offer you, the American employer a skill set and work ethic that makes you welcome them back year after year.
South Africans are proud, usually respectful, but also appreciate respect in return. Although the South Africans who have found their way to American Farms and Carnivals have a good work ethic according to their American employers, that does not mean all South Africans have a good work ethic.
Finding those that fit in, are able to do the work, don't mind the hours, and that complete the full season is not always an easy task. It requires time and resources in order to deliver the right crew in time for your starting date. South Africa is a diverse country with a population of over 60 million, spread out over a large geographical area. A2X group is represented in key, agricultural and industrial regions where we source, screen and prepare the best workers for your American conditions.
Some need to know important stuff:
The 3 US consulates in South Africa are located in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Visa appointment slots get taken up quickly. This is the reason why last minute orders for good crew often can't be accommodated. When one takes into account the time, resources and expense to identify, screen, select and prepare the right worker, combined with the often tightly booked US consulates - a few weeks are often not enough to deliver these popular recruits on short notice. Adding other factors such as full flights to the US into the equation and South African public holidays, a few months lead time before your date of need, greatly improves your chances of carefully selected, risk accessed crew delivered in time.
There are recruiters, some well-known, who do not interview or ever meet the prospective worker face to face before utilizing your valuable H2-A or H2-B work visa. It then often happens that applicants submit a pretty CV and get booked for a visa and fly soon after, only for the American employer to find out this worker was not who he pretended to be.
A2X interviews and screens all applicants face to face. We don't do video interviews with applicants and we certainly don’t allocate anyone on your work visa, who we have not met in person, screened, risk assessed and prepared for the job abroad in the United States. Our US farm and Carnival employers have discovered that they get better crew, delivered in time, or closer to their deadlines, when they place their request for crew with us in time, a few months before their date of need.
A2X’s unique policies and procedures are created to overcome a range of challenges and obstacles typical to US seasonal worker programs, and as such we like to think we have the best program in the market for you, the employer and the South African worker alike.