How to apply for the H-2B visa to work in the US 2:19
(CNN Spanish) - The
United States has a long history of importing temporary foreign workers, since in the past these were necessary to cope with the shortage of American workers during wartime.
In 2020, the Department of State (DOS) declared that "the H-2 program is essential to the United States economy and food security and is a national security priority."
America's worker shortage is real and getting worse every day, according to the CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce.
Currently, the North American country grants thousands of H-2 visas to workers with or without experience - non-professionals and without an academic degree - to perform temporary jobs in the country to carry out seasonal agricultural work, livestock production, construction, meat and seafood processing , among others.
The H-2 visa category is divided into two types of visas:
The H-2A for agricultural workers.
The H-2B for non-agricultural workers.
Greater accessibility to temporary jobs
In late July 2021, the Joe Biden administration outlined the next steps to achieve an immigration system with more "humane" policies, such as improving expedited deportation for people arriving at the border, considering asylum applications in a more efficient and expand access to temporary work visas in the region.
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Likewise, the administration says it is "exploring ways to improve access to H-2A visas for temporary farm workers," as long as there are not enough qualified US workers to fill these positions.
Among the goals set in July, the Biden administration said it will encourage other governments to facilitate access to find "meaningful temporary work," and also pledged to reduce the backlog of visa applications from Northern Triangle nationals.
Temporary work visas in the USA
Women collect crabs at WT Ruark Seafood Co. on May 17, 2018 in Hoopers Island, Maryland.
Due to a new lottery system this year, several seafood companies did not obtain temporary H-2B visas for their largely Mexican workforce that has been coming to the east coast of Maryland for more than two decades to pick up the crab meat that is sold. sells in restaurants and stores on the east coast.
(Photo by Mark Wilson / Getty Images)
Unlike the H-2B visa, which is subject to an annual limit of 66,000, the H-2A visa for agricultural workers is not subject to any numerical limitations.
In fact, the H-2A visa is the only type of visa that has seen an increase in emissions over five years.
According to data from the Department of Labor (DOL), in 2016 the US issued a total of 134,368 H-2A visas and in 2020 213,394 visas were issued, an increase of 62%.
The most common jobs in 2020 for people under H-2A status are held by farmworkers and day laborers, farm equipment operators, and farmworkers of farm animals, livestock, and aquatic animals.
Despite the 66,000 limit for H-2B visas, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the supplemental increase to a maximum of 22,000 additional visas through the end of fiscal year 2021 "to ensure that American businesses are equipped with the resources necessary to successfully recover and contribute to the economic health of local communities," DHS said.
Of the 22,000 additional visas, 16,000 are for workers who received an H-2B visa or were granted H-2B status in one of the last three fiscal years.
The other 6,000 are reserved for temporary non-agricultural workers from the Northern Triangle of Central America (Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador) in fiscal year 2021.
In 2020, the US granted a total of 65,716 H-2B visas, mostly occupied by gardeners, forestry workers and meat cutters.
The countries whose citizens received the highest number of H-2B visas were Mexico with 74.7%, followed by Jamaica with 8.9% and Guatemala with 2.7%, according to a report by the Citizenship and Immigration Service of United States (USCIS).
How to find a temporary job in the USA?
Victor Hernandez, who is in the U.S. on an H-2A guest worker visa, picks oranges for Sorrells Brothers Packing Co., Inc. (Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
Available temporary jobs in the United States, as well as their description, duration, location, pay, and contact details can be viewed on the DOL website.
However, the website is only available in English.
"Workers can enter and enter their job classification and employers looking for workers in that category can apply for or contact an employer in the US," immigration attorney Jeff Joseph explained to CNN.
Once a job offer is available from the employer, prospective workers outside the U.S. will need to apply for an H-2A or H-2B visa (after USCIS approves their Form I-129) with the Department of State in a US embassy or consulate.
Finally, they must apply for admission to the US at a port of entry into the country.
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