US Biden administration strikes deal to offer 22,000 H-2B visas for guestworkers

US Biden administration strikes deal to offer 22,000 H-2B visas for guestworkers
April 20, 2021, 9:20 am

This photo illustration shows a visa stamp on a foreign passport in Los Angeles, United States, on June 6, 2020. (AP)

Two Biden administration agencies have struck a deal to offer 22,000 extra seasonal guestworker visas to employers in the coming months, Bloomberg Law reported on Monday.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh agreed late last week to lift the cap on H-2B visas, the report said, citing two sources familiar with the process.

The extra visas for seasonal non-agricultural labor, called the H-2B visas, are in addition to the annual allotment of 66,000 H-2B visas.

Earlier in April, President Joe Biden allowed a proclamation from his Republican predecessor that had blocked many temporary foreign workers from coming into the US to expire.

The Democratic president has rolled back some of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies since taking office on Jan. 20, including last month revoking a proclamation that had blocked many immigrant visa applicants from entering the US.

source: Reuters

Image source: AP

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