Additional H2B Visas to be Made Available this Fiscal Year
2 min read
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has declared that around 65,000 additional H2B visas will be made available for the current fiscal year. Moreover, the White House is creating an H2B worker protection Taskforce designed to safeguard the integrity of the program and root out abuse by certain employers who employ H2B workers.
Overview of the H2B Program
The H2B visa category is designed to help a U.S. employer in an industry with peak load, seasonal, or intermittent needs to augment its existing labor force with temporary workers. Moreover, a U.S. employer might use the H2B program. If there is a one-time occurrence that requires a temporary increase in workers. The H2B visa class is used by a few unique industries. Yet is particularly prevalent in the construction and food services industries.
Additional H2B Visas
Per this new guideline, the DHS is making 64,716 extra H2B visas available for the fiscal year 2023 which goes through 30th September 2023. The guideline explains that 20,000 of these new H2Bs are held only for workers from Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The remaining 44,716 visas then will be made available to the individuals who are named “returning” workers. This means that the worker has held valid H2B status at some point in the last three fiscal years. The returning worker visas also will be spread out over the fiscal year. To account for various periods when seasonal workers are required.
Increased Protections for U.S. and H2B Workers
The H2B worker Protection Taskforce will focus on three areas of concern related to the H2B program. To start with, the task force will examine any dangers to the integrity of the H2B program. Second, the task force will inspect methods for safeguarding H2B laborers. For example, the capacity to leave an oppressive boss without gambling with one’s legal movement status. At last, the team will attempt to guarantee that U.S. employers are not using the program to try not to employ U.S. laborers.
[Expanding work eligibility for all H-1B spouses could benefit the US]
Conclusion
The H2B program is a critical part of how the U.S. immigration system helps U.S. employers. To fill temporary positions and bolster the U.S. economy. Temporarily expanding the availability of H2B workers should alleviate some of the economic pressures made by the pandemic. While work of the task force should help prevent abuse in this category.
