An additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas have been made available by the United States Citizenship and immigrations Services (USCIS) for the fiscal year 2024, in addition to the statutory cap of 66,000 visas that are available each year.
From the additional visas will benefit temporary workers engaged in fields such a s hospitality, seafood processing, tourism, and landscaping, among others, VisaGuide.World reports.
The temporary final rule also advances the Biden Administration’s pledge, under the Los Angeles Declaration for Migration and Protection, to expand lawful pathways as an alternative to irregular migration.
By making these visas available the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) aims to help US businesses to find foreign workers in order to fill in labor shortage gaps.
From allocation of 20,000 visas will benefit workers from Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti.
In Addition to the 20-000 country-specific allocation, a total of 44,716 supplemental visas will be eligible to returning workers who received H-2B visas or were granted the H-2B status in one of the last three fiscal years.
The rule allocates these supplemental visas for returning workers between the first half and second half of the fiscal year to account for the need for additional seasonal and other temporary workers over the course of the year, with a portion of the second half allocation reserved to meet the demand for workers during the summer season.
At the same time, the semi-annual cap of a total of 33,000 H-2B visas authorized under the Immigration and Nationality Act for the first year 2024 was reached on October 11, 2023.
USCIS has stressed that the supplemental allocation of visas has been divided into the following allocations.
The additional H-2B visas have been divided into the following allocations:
- In the first half of next year of fiscal year 2024, October 1 to March 31, a total of 20,716 visas for returning workers are available- those who were issued H-2B visas or held H-2B status in fiscal year 2021, 2022 or 2023. These petitions must request employment start dates on or before March 31, 2024.
- In the early second half of the fiscal year 2024, April 1 until May 14, a total of 19,000 visas are allocated to returning workers, with H-2B visas or H-2B status in Fiscal year 2021, 2022, or 2023, regardless of nationality. These petitions must request employment starting from April 1, 2024, to May 14, 2024.
- In the second half of fiscal year 2024, a total of 5,000 visas are designed for returning workers with H-2B visas or H-2B status in fiscal year 2021, 2022, or 2023, in spite of their nationality.
- Throughout fiscal year 2024, a total of 20,000 visas are set aside for nationals of Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti and Costa Rica, regardless of whether they are returning workers. Employers seeking an employment start date in the first half of fiscal year 2024 are eligible to file such petitions after the publication of this temporary final rule.
The temporary H-2B program gives employers the opportunity to hire noncitizens on a temporary basis for the performance of nonagricultural labor or services within the US.