South African Workers Turn to H-2A Visa for Farm Jobs in US, A Growing Trend

• South African farm workers increasingly migrate to the US under the H-2A visa programme for agricultural jobs
• Farmers in Mississippi rely on skilled South African labourers to operate advanced farming equipment during harvest season
• Many South Africans seek better wages and safety, leaving behind limited opportunities and crime at home

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

UNITED STATES, MISSISSIPPI - A growing number of South African farm workers are travelling to the United States to work on commercial farms through the H-2A visa programme, with many settling seasonally in rural areas such as Chatham, Mississippi.

Taken up agricultural jobs in the region

The New Yorker stated that Nick Ramsden, a 31-year-old farmer from Pretoria in South Africa, is among the workers who have taken up agricultural jobs in the region. Ramsden moved to the US in 2021 to work at Nelson-King Farms, where he drives heavy trucks and operates machinery during harvest. The farm sits near Chatham, a small Delta community known locally for Roy's Store and its proximity to Lake Washington. The area, surrounded by soybean and cotton fields, has seen a steady influx of white South African labourers in recent years.

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Ramsden said the work could be demanding, particularly during harvest, when labourers sometimes work up to 100 hours a week. He said many South Africans had settled in the region, with dozens living within a short drive of each other. The majority of workers operate advanced farming equipment used to grow commodity crops such as soybeans, corn and cotton. These farms rely heavily on GPS-guided tractors and automated planting systems, making skilled machinery operators valuable.

Researchers indicated that South Africans began entering the US agricultural labour system in the 1990s. Jason Holcomb of Morehead State University said they initially joined travelling harvesting crews that moved across the Great Plains to cut crops. Since then, South Africans have become one of the fastest-growing groups in the visa programme.

Keeping large agricultural operations running

Farmers said the programme has become essential to keeping large agricultural operations running. Walter King, a co-owner of Nelson-King Farms, said the sector would struggle to operate without the programme. Higher wages are a major attraction for South African workers. Ramsden estimated that farm workers in Mississippi can earn at least four times what they might make doing similar work in South Africa. Many workers also cite crime and limited job opportunities at home as reasons for seeking employment abroad.

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Researchers and analysts noted that attacks on farms in South Africa are widely considered to be economically motivated crimes rather than racially driven violence. Rural properties are often targeted because they may contain firearms, cash and equipment and are located far from police stations. Crime affects many groups in South Africa, and the statistical evidence does not support claims of a targeted genocide against white farmers.

White South Africans in the US plan to return

Briefly News also reported that white South Africans living in the United States and other European countries are returning to their homeland in large numbers.

The repatriation occurs despite the United States ramping up its efforts to relocate Afrikaners to the US as refugees.

Source: Briefly News