Extra H2B Visas for Summer Employment and How to Secure Them Before They’re Gone
The Department of Homeland Security recently released an additional 35,000 H-2B Work Visas for the Spring and Summer work season. These visas are available to those starting work between April 1st and September 30th, 2022.
The H-2B visa guest-worker program caps annually at 66,000 visas which are split equally between the spring and summer seasons. These 66,000 visas reached their cap for the second half of the fiscal year at the end of this past February.
Of the newly released 35,000 Work Visas, 23,500 are reserved for returning H-2B workers who received an H-2B Visa during the last three fiscal years. The remaining 11,500 Visas are reserved for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras regardless of whether they are returning workers or not.
These additional Visas will help relieve pressure on employers who are having trouble securing employees in the face of a national labor shortage in the U.S.
H-2B Visas are helpful for those in the entertainment and tourist industries, as well as those employers in the landscaping, forestry, and hotel industries who are facing a worker shortage and who otherwise may have to close their doors due to lack of help.
How can you, as an employer, secure these Visas for guest-workers?
To get the ball rolling, you are required to search within the U.S. market to prove that you are unable to find employees able and willing to fill your open positions. This includes using and documenting recruitment efforts such as posting the job to your State Workforce Agency for at least 15 calendar days and contacting the nearest American Job Center, as well as soliciting previous employees to offer them employment.
Employers must also attest that hiring guest-workers will not negatively impact the working conditions and salaries of similarly employed United States candidates. Employers are also required to prove that their business is at risk of closing down or being harmed without the reinforcement of additional workers outside of the available U.S. workforce.
This can get complicated. We can help.
At MG Corp Consultants we simplify the process and make the H-2B Visa experience easier to navigate. We will guide your company through the entire H-2B Visa process, making it business friendly. Contact us today to find out more about our process and how we can help you secure your work-force and obtain the labor needed to keep your business running smoothly.
We are located in Norman, Oklahoma and cater to the needs of medium to large-sized businesses seeking employees utilizing the H-2B guest-worker program. We know that the worker shortage in the United States is reaching alarming heights of historic proportions and will work to help you keep your business running at optimal capacity.
Click Here to read our article: H2B WORK VISA REQUIREMENTS & HOW WE CAN HELP