On Thursday last week DHS announced that an additional 35,000 H-2B visas will be made available to US employers nationwide to fill seasonal jobs. Returning workers who held an H-2B visa in at least one of the past 3 fiscal years will be eligible for these visas.
Current H-2B visa cap is 66,000, for which more than 96,000 applications were filed by employers starting in January.
A provision of the FY 2020 Appropriations Bill could permit raising the cap, as was done in FY 2017 and 2018.
Will US tourism and hospitality businesses be able to hire the seasonal workers they need for summer 2020? Stay tuned.