Who can come to the USA on H-2A and H-2B work visas in 2020?
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the U.S. Department of State (DOS), have announced a list of countries whose citizens are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in 2020. A notification listing the respective countries will be published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2020.
For 2020, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security said that countries identified as acceptable in 2019 will remain unchanged.
DHS reserves the right to add countries to the list of eligible countries at any time and to exclude any of them if DHS and DOS decide that the country does not meet the requirements. For example, fraud, abuse, level of registration denial, level of overdue debt, problems of human trafficking and other forms of non-compliance with the terms and conditions of H-2 visa programs from citizens of this country.
H-2A and H-2B visa programs allow US employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States for temporary employment in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, respectively.
As a rule, USCIS approves the petitions H-2A and H-2B only for citizens of countries that the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated as eligible to participate in the programs.
However, USCIS may approve the H-2A and H-2B petitions, including those that were pending at the date of notification of the Federal Register, for citizens of countries not listed on a case-by-case basis only if this is done in the interest of the United States .
From January 19, 2020, citizens of these countries have the right to obtain H-2A and H-2B visas:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- Vanuatu
- East Timor
- Germany
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Spain
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Kiribati
- Canada
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malta
- Moldova
- Mozambique
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Nauru
- Netherlands
- Nicaragua
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay*
- Papua - New Guinea
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- North Macedonia
- Salvador
- United Kingdom
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Tonga
- Turkey
- Tuvalu
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Finland
- France
- Fiji
- Croatia
- Chile
- Czech Republic
- Montenegro
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Ecuador
- Estonia
- Jamaica
- Japan
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