Diadon Enterprises © 2018

Written on .

H-2B visa cap doubled to 129,500 foreign-born workers | Chesapeake Virginia Dump Truck, Aggregate, Excavation Company

First Published on

Columbus Ohio Dump Truck Company Brief:

  • The $1.3 trillion, 2,000-plus-page omnibus spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law not only adverts a government shutdown, but also addresses, among other things, labor issues such as H-2B visas and overtime.
  • One provision allows the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to raise the number of H-2B visas for temporary non-farm foreign workers from the annual 66,000 cap to 129,547.
  • Foreign seasonal workers keep many industries, including construction and related fields, humming, but the current state of the H-2B visa program may leave many business owners without the peak-season help they need this summer, reports the Denver Post. With the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's switch to a lottery system for the second half of fiscal year 2018, companies in landscaping, construction, tourism and hospitality may feel the pinch.

Dump Trucks Columbus OH Insight:

The bill provides clarity to employers on certain hot-button issues, and is a win regarding the hiring of immigrant workers. There are many classes of worker visas, but, currently, the only foreign worker visa available to U.S. companies to bring in skilled or unskilled construction labor is the H-2B temporary non-agricultural workers visa. To secure such a visa for a foreign-born laborer, the open position must be one time or seasonal that cannot be filled by a U.S. citizen.

The potential increase in the number of H-2B visas available is welcome news to employers that depend on seasonal workers from abroad for jobs in landscaping, construction and many other industries. Visa applications for temporary workers for the 2018 spring and summer months already met the cap in December 2017; three times as many applications came through in January compared to a year ago. 

Will the higher cap on H-2B visas relieve some pressure on U.S. employers in general? It doesn't look likely, because demand for immigrant workers remains high.