U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, D-Bourne, told The Times in a recent interview that after years of lobbying to cut red tape in the H-2B visa program, his office has finally seen “terrific” results. H-2B visas permit foreign nationals to temporarily work in the U.S., and are widely used on the Island to fill seasonal jobs in the tourism industry.
Keating said the process for H-2B visas is no longer piecemeal and unpredictable. For the coming fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, he said, the whole process has been streamlined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor. Furthermore, the cap on workers has jumped.
“This is extraordinary in terms of its impact,” Keating said. “They’re nearly doubling the number of H-2B work visas in the coming year.”
That amounts to 65,000 additional workers, according to a DHS release.
The focus of the program will remain on returning workers, Keating said, who often come back to businesses they’ve long worked at. The uncertainty in the program, which Keating said was particularly acute during the Trump Administration, is gone.
Keating expected the retooled program and boosted worker cap to be “a sigh of relief, given the strain that so many of these businesses have been under.”
How many visas will be issued to people fleeing Communist Venezuela?
1. Why would someone fleeing their home country want a temporary US visa that generally grants them only 10 months or less to legally stay in the US after which they have to return to their home country?
2. What happened in Venezuela in 1971?
3. All your comments read like trolling.
Albert’s comments are best ignored.
Venezuela was once the richest country in Latin America due to oil and a relatively small population. I was a CEO of a Multinational from 84 to 87 and could slowly see the seeds of destruction. Nationalizing every industry, and not allowing repatriation of foreign capital. Multinationals fled and key industries declined and failed. 5 years later Hugo Chavez came along and sealed their doom. Maduro is burying it even more.
Comments are closed.