In an effort to alleviate the labor shortage in the United States, the US government announced on Thursday that it will give an additional 20,000 H-2B visas for the first half of the fiscal year.
The visas are intended to assist U.S. firms that will suffer irreparable loss if they are unable to hire additional workers before March 31, 2022, according to a statement from the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor.
“We’re giving employers the resources and support they need to stay in business while also increasing legal avenues to the United States,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The additional visas will be available to employers on Jan. 28, 2022, according to DHS, and will come at a time when employment growth is at an all-time high and labor force participation is at an all-time low.
Returning workers who earned an H-2B visa or were otherwise awarded H-2B status during one of the previous three fiscal years are eligible for 13,500 of the visas, according to DHS. People from Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras will receive the remaining 6,500 visas.
