There are 20,000 H-2B visas, for temporary non-agricultural workers which will be exclusively intended for people from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras.
The benefits package is part of the 64,700 additional H-2B visas approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)the agency reported.
“There are employers across the country who would suffer greatly without H-2B workers,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Help boost our economy and to reduce irregular migration, while providing a safe and legal path to the United States for non-citizens who are willing to work.”
It is specified that 44,700 of these visas will be for those workers who already had an H-2B visa and will return to the US to work in service jobs, such as gardening, hospitality and restaurants.
“The H-2B visa supplemental allotment consists of approximately 44,700 visas available for returning workers and who received an H-2B visa or had H-2B status in fiscal years 2022, 2023 or 2024, regardless of their country of nationality,” the DHS indicated. “The remaining 20,000 visas are reserved for nationals of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras.”
The authorization of the visas was in coordination with the Department of Labor (DOL), for which a temporary final rule (TFR) was issued for fiscal year 2025, which began last October and concludes next September.
“These supplemental visas are intended to assist U.S. employers who are unable to find U.S. workers who are available, willing, and qualified to perform temporary work in industries such as hospitality and tourism, landscaping, seafood processing, and many other sectors.” ”, indicated the government of President Joe Biden.
The Biden Administration has imposed rules that seek to prevent employer abuses and human trafficking.
How visas will be assigned
DHS reported that the first half of fiscal year 2025 (October 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025) 20,716 visas will be designated, but limited to workers returning to work in the US, which means that already They had this work permit in 2022, 2023 or 2024, regardless of the country of nationality.
From April 1, 2025 to May 14, 2025, 19,000 limited visas will be assigned to the same type of workers, but with the difference that they must request employment start dates from April 1, 2025 to May 14, 2025.
From May 15, 2025 to September 30, 2025, 5,000 limited visas will be allocated to returning workers, but with an employment start date of May 15, 2025 to September 30, 2025.
The 20,000 visas for specific countries can be requested throughout the fiscal year.
“Employers requesting an employment start date in the first half of fiscal year 2025 can submit their requests immediately,” it states. “Employers requesting an employment start date in the second half of fiscal year 2025 must submit their requests no earlier than 15 days after the legal limit for the second half is reached.”
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