The Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of State, has announced six new countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in the coming year. The notice listing the eligible countries will be published in the Federal Register on Nov. 10, 2021.

"The Department of Homeland Security is committed to working with our interagency partners to ensure that companies in the United States can fill temporary or seasonal jobs for which U.S. workers are not available," said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. "Adding these six new countries will enable their nationals to apply for temporary work in the United States."

With this Notice, the Secretary of Homeland Security, with concurrence of the Secretary of State, has decided to add Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Cyprus, the Dominican Republic (currently only eligible for H-2A), Haiti, Mauritius, and Saint Lucia to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs.

Recall that the H-2A and H-2B visa programs allow American employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to occupy temporary agricultural and non-agricultural jobs, respectively. The H-2A visa is specially designed for temporary agricultural workers while the H-2B visa is designed for temporary workers in non-agricultural occupations.

For more information on these programs, see the H-2A https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2a-temporary-agricultural-workers Temporary Agricultural Workers and H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Workers https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2b-temporary-non-agricultural-workers webpages.

HL/ HaitiLibre