Posted on November 20 2020
As per a News Alert dated November 18, 2020, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services [USCIS] has announced that the H-2B cap for the first half of Financial Year 2021 has been reached.
The H-2B program allows employers or agents in the US – that meet the specific regulatory requirements – to bring in foreign nationals into the country for filling up temporary non-agricultural jobs.
Currently, the H-2B cap is set at 66,000 in any financial year.
33,000 | Beginning employment between October 1 to March 31 [that is, the first half of the financial year] |
33,000 | Beginning employment between April 1 to September 30 [that is, the second half of the financial year] |
Any remaining spaces from the first half of the fiscal year will be available for the second half of that financial year. Nevertheless, unused H-2B spaces are not carried forward onto the next financial year.
With the cap limit being reached, USCIS will then only be accepting petitions on behalf of H-2B workers that are exempt from the cap.
November 16, 2020 was the final receipt date for H-2B worker petitions seeking an employment start date prior to April 1, 2021.
As the number of petitions surpassed the total remaining spaces, a computer-generated process – commonly referred to as a lottery – was conducted by USCIS on November 18.
Following the lottery, USCIS assigned a receipt date of November 18 to all petitions selected.
Despite the limit being reached, USCIS continues to take in H-2B petitions exempt from the cap. These include petitions wherein –
Current H-2B workers in the US are extending their stay and might be changing their employers or terms of employment |
Fish roe technicians, supervisors of fish roe processing, and/or fish roe processors |
Workers performing services/labour in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and/or Guam from November 28, 2009, until December 31, 2029. |
Countries eligible for the H-2B visa of the US
With effect from January 19, 2020, foreign nationals from the below-mentioned 81 countries are eligible for the H-2B program –
Andorra | Argentina | Australia | Austria | Barbados | Belgium | Brazil | Brunei | Bulgaria | Canada |
Chile | Columbia | Costa Rica | Croatia | Czech Republic | Denmark | Ecuador | El Salvador | Estonia | Fiji |
Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Grenada | Guatemala | Honduras | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland |
Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Japan | Kiribati | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | North Macedonia |
Madagascar | Malta | Mexico | Monaco | Mongolia | Montenegro | Mozambique | Nauru | The Netherlands | Nicaragua |
New Zealand | Norway | Panama | Papua New Guinea | Peru | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Samoa | San Marino |
Serbia | Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | Solomon Islands | South Africa | South Korea | Spain | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Sweden |
Switzerland | Taiwan | Thailand | Timor- Leste | Tonga | Turkey | Tuvalu | Ukraine | UK | Uruguay |
Vanuatu | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
A foreign national belonging to a country not on the list of eligible countries might be the beneficiary of an approved H-2B petition, provided that the secretary of the Homeland Security determines it to be in the US interest for the individual to be the recipient of such a petition.
If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to the USA, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.
If you found this blog engaging, you may also like…
US: Joe Biden plans to increase H-1B limit, do away with country quota
Tags:
Share
Get it on your Mobile
Get News Alerts
Contact Y-Axis