U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) are leading a bipartisan effort to urge the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year 2025.
H-2B visas fill needs for American small businesses when there are not enough American workers to fill the temporary, seasonal positions.
While employers must first try to hire American workers to fill open positions, when the local workforce is insufficient, H-2Bs are seen as a necessary tool to support local economies.
“We write on behalf of seasonal businesses in our states—including employers of housekeepers in tourist destinations, landscapers with defined seasons, seafood processors with short harvesting windows, and fairs and carnivals—who are struggling to hire a sufficient number of temporary, seasonal laborers to support their operations,” the senators wrote in a letter to officials at the DOL and DHS. “In light of these labor shortages, we strongly urge the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to utilize the authority provided by Congress in the FY2025 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year 2025, as you did for Fiscal Year 2024.”