The Biden administration announced that 22,000 additional seasonal guest worker visas will be made available to employers who “may cause irreparable harm to their businesses” due to a lack of workers. Of these, 6,000 visas are reserved for Central Americans from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to “expand their opportunities to enter the United States through legal channels.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a press release Tuesday (April 20) that given the increased workforce demand, DHS is taking action “to ensure that U.S. businesses have the resources they need to successfully recover and contribute to the economic health of local communities contribute.”
DHS said U.S. employers who rely on foreign workers told officials in a recent contact that they urgently need additional temporary guest workers in the current fiscal year. The government issues 66,000 H-2B visas annually to seasonal employers in the non-agricultural sector, and the additional visas will bring the total to more than that number.
The Department of Homeland Security said, “Despite all efforts by U.S. businesses to recruit and hire workers, businesses across the country are reporting vacancies in key positions.” “This will put already vulnerable businesses, at risk of significant, potential, revenue loss.”
The agency said only employers who have demonstrated that they “may suffer irreparable harm” if they do not add guest workers will be eligible for these visas. Employers must also demonstrate that they have attempted to hire U.S. workers for these positions, that those efforts have been unsuccessful and that hiring foreign workers will not depress the wages of U.S. workers.
The H-2B program is designed to help U.S. employers fill temporary seasonal jobs while protecting the livelihoods of U.S. workers,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. This increase in the number of supplemental visas also demonstrates the Department of Homeland Security’s commitment to providing individuals from countries in the Northern Triangle region of Central America (NTC), with legal opportunities to enter the United States.”
The so-called Northern Triangle countries of Central America are a major source of illegal immigrants to the United States. Visas for these countries were opened because of President Biden’s executive order, which sought to expand “access to individuals who face difficult or dangerous conditions in their home countries, not only through asylum and refugee resettlement, but also through labor and other non-asylum programs that provide stability and security in receiving countries.”
The 22,000 additional H-2B visas that will be made available to employers this fiscal year have a deadline of Sept. 30, DHS said.
The move has been welcomed by some business interests but opposed by some who argue that the jobs should belong to Americans and that the foreign workers depress the wages of American workers.
Recent Comments