With the 2004 Major League Baseball Entry Draft (June 7-8) fast approaching, it's time we brought an emerging issue to the fore:
H2B Visa defined:
"An H2B nonagricultural temporary worker is an alien who is coming temporarily to the United States to perform temporary services or labor, is not displacing United States workers capable of performing such services or labor, and whose employment is not adversely affecting the wages and working conditions of United States workers." -- Jeff Carroll, nwitimes.com
Due to a recent U.S. decision to limit the number of H2B visas handed out, the future is far from certain for Canada's aspiring young ballplayers, unable to suit up for affiliates South of the Border. Sean Mallen, CanWest News, reported in today's Post that Major League teams are scrambling to adjust for the upcoming draft, with many clubs avoiding Canadian prospects altogether. "It's unfair, I think," John Lalonde, the Blue Jays' scouting director is quoted. "It penalizes Canadians. And it also affects Dominicans, Australians and Venezuelans."
Additional links:
- Eric Bender of the London Free Press has the story of London, Ontario's Kevin Virtue, one of the many Canucks affected.
- The Sun's Bob Elliott broke the story for us over a month ago.
- Jeff Carroll, Northwest Indiana Times, has a detailed piece on the H2B-visa conundrum, as it relates to Canadians and Latin Americans, such as Rene Pinto, alike.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040514054825999