Senators Collins, King Announce Nearly 65,000 Additional H-2B Visas Expected to be Issued

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Department of Labor (DOL) Acting Secretary Julie Su are expected to make an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 25), on top of the congressionally mandated 66,000 H-2B visas that are available each fiscal year.

"The release of over 64,000 additional H-2B visas is a welcome relief for small businesses throughout Maine that continue to face a shortage of employees," said Senators Collins and King. "These visas are a lifeline for our state's economy, helping businesses meet the increasing demand for their products and services, especially as we enter the winter tourism season."

The FY 25 H-2B supplemental allocation is expected to include 20,000 visas for workers from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras. In addition to the 20,000 country-specific allocation, 44,716 supplemental visas would be available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa, or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years.

Senators Collins and King have consistently pushed DHS and DOL to increase the availability of H-2B visas, and they have worked to ensure that the H-2B visa program is efficient and effective. In 2022, they successfully urged the agencies to release the maximum number of H-2B visas for Fiscal Year 2023 - marking the first time that the Departments issued a single rule making available H-2B supplemental visas for several allocations throughout the entire fiscal year.

Last month, Senators Collins and King signed a letter sent to DOL Acting Secretary Su and DHS Secretary Mayorkas requesting that the departments utilize the authority provided by Congress in the FY 25 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for FY 25. The bipartisan letter garnered the support of 40 Senators.

As required by law, employers must first make a concerted effort to hire American workers to fill open positions. H-2B visas fill needs for American small businesses when there are not enough able and willing American workers to fill the temporary, seasonal positions. Additional details on H-2B program eligibility and filing requirements will be available in the temporary final rule when published by DHS and DOL.

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