H-2B program gets additional 20K visas for workers

A National HBPA advisory (Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation photo):

The federal government has taken an important step that should make it at least a bit easier for horse trainers to hire or retain legal workers. The National HBPA encourages horsemen to take advantage of this update. The details:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) today announced the availability of 20,000 additional H-2B visas for the first half of the fiscal year 2022. H-2B visas are temporary nonagricultural worker visas designed to alleviate domestic labor shortages for U.S. employers. These visas are available from January 28 through March 31, 2022.

The H-2B program is subject to a statutory cap, imposed by Congress, which is currently set at 66,000 visas per year. U.S. business demand for these visas far exceeds supply, however. This supplemental cap increase comes at a time of record job growth and reduced domestic labor force participation. The supplemental allocation consists of 13,500 visas available to returning workers who have already received an H-2B visa in one of the last three fiscal years. The remaining visas are reserved for nationals of Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

“No issue is more important than horsemen being able to hire enough help,” said Eric Hamelback, the National HBPA’s CEO. “The H-2B program is among the highest priorities for the National HBPA. We have spent considerable efforts on Capitol Hill discussing the need for H-2B visa reform, and specifically, the need for an exemption for returning workers. I am glad that the Administration is stepping in to allocate additional visas for returning workers, which make up the vast majority of H-2B visas utilized by the horseracing industry.

“We will continue our work to advocate for a permanent fix to this issue with Congress. In the meantime, we can’t emphasize enough how important it is for horsemen to take advantage of this temporary visa expansion.”

For more information on the eligibility and filing requirements, visit the Cap Count for H-2B nonimmigrants website. The joint temporary final rule can also be found in the Federal Register here.

The National HBPA will continue to keep horsemen updated on this critical issue.