The government of President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday an increase in the number of temporary workers who will be able to work in the United States this year, as the economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the United States will approve an additional 22,000 H2-B visas for seasonal work, in addition to the 66,000 annual limit set by Congress. He cited the increase in demand from employers as the number of people applying for unemployment benefits is at its lowest point since the COVID-19 outbreak arose.
The H2-B visa program has bipartisan support in Congress and from companies across the country. It is used to cover jobs in areas such as landscaping, construction, hotels and restaurants, as well as in meat and seafood processing plants and amusement parks.
Last year, President Donald Trump authorized an additional 35,000 H-2B visas above the annual limit, but three months later stopped the program along with other foreign worker programs under a powerful executive order. Biden let the order expire.
Employers must attest that they could suffer “irreparable harm” if they do not receive foreign workers under the program.
Announcing this year’s annual supplemental increase, DHS said it would reserve 6,000 visas for people from the North Central American Triangle countries: Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Central Americans, battling the pandemic, the aftermath of two hurricanes and longtime problems, are a significant part of the growing number of migrants seeking to enter the United States along the border with Mexico.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the visa increase reflects Biden’s government’s goal of “expanding legal avenues of opportunity in the United States” for people in the countries of the Northern Triangle.