In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released 130,716 temporary H-2B visas for non-agricultural workers for fiscal year 2024.

This is announced and celebrated by Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, both representatives of Maryland, Van Hollen’s site reported on December 18.

The total visa allocation for fiscal year 2024 consists of the 66,000 H-2B visas that DHS may issue annually under the Immigration and Nationality Act, as well as 64,716 additional visas authorized by government funding legislation for fiscal year 2023 and – the website highlights – the short-term continuing resolution (CR) that senators were working on.

Van Hollen and Cardin noted that they and three Virginia colleagues have introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the H-2B program and ensure Maryland fishing companies can hire the seasonal workers they need to operate at full capacity can work.

According to Cardin, “the struggle to hire seasonal workers has put incredible pressure on the U.S. fishing industry. “Chronic labor shortages have left seafood and crab businesses, especially those on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, at risk of permanent damage.”

He believes expanding the H-2B visa program will allow companies to hire more “seasonal workers” and help fill a critical gap in the upcoming season.

Likewise, “by eliminating the 66,000 visa limit for seafood processors, we can ensure that Maryland’s seafood industry fully recovers.”

The United States to Double the Quota of H-2B Visas for Non-Agricultural Workers: Who’s Eligible and How to Apply for One

Businesses such as hospitality and tourism, landscaping, seafood processing and more are turning to seasonal and temporary workers in the H-2B program to help them meet consumer demand.

USCIS

These are the companies in the United States that offer the most temporary jobs with H-2B visas

H-2B visa program

The H-2B visa program allows employers to temporarily hire non-citizens to perform non-agricultural work or services in the United States, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, reminds.

The employment, they indicate, must be of a temporary nature, such as a one-off event, a seasonal need or a periodic need.

The employers seeking H-2B workers must take a series of steps to evaluate the US labor market.

These employers must obtain a certification from the Department of Labor (DOL) that there are not enough U.S. workers able, willing, qualified, and available to perform the temporary work for which they are seeking a potential foreign worker, and that they H. -2B will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of comparable U.S. workers.

The maximum length of stay in the H-2B classification is three years.

An individual who has held H-2B nonimmigrant status for a total of three years must depart and remain outside the United States for a continuous period of three months before applying for readmission as an H-2B nonimmigrant.

With information from vanhollen.senate.gov and Uscis

(JO)