After receiving less H-2B visa applications than expected from
employers this year, USCIS has again begun accepting applications for
this visa category. The H-2B visa, which provides temporary entry into
the U.S. for semi-skilled workers, has an annual cap of 66,000. So far,
USCIS has only issued just over 40,000 of these visas for this fiscal
year (ending September 30). “Because of the low visa issuance rate,
(U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS) is reopening the
filing period to allow employers to file additional petitions for
qualified H-2B temporary foreign non-agricultural workers,” reported
USCIS.
The H-2B program enables employers to bring in temporary foreign
workers to fill non-agricultural positions for which there is a
shortage of U.S. workers. These positions are typically in areas such
as health care, food service, landscaping and construction. In previous
years, there was a high demand for these workers and, typically, the
amount of applications received were much more than the 66,000 annual
cap. However, this year, as we’ve seen with the H-1B program, the
global recession has greatly affected employer needs for H-2B workers.
