The USA can issue X-NUMX thousand more visas H-15B

Nielsen did not voice her plans publicly, however, according to sources, she told several congressmen that she plans to increase the number of additional visas to 15 thousand. Last year, the Ministry also gave permission to issue additional 15 thousands of H-2B visas. Nielsen promised lawmakers soon to announce her final decision.

In 2017, only 12,300 additional H-2B visas were issued. It was not possible to fully select the quota due to the fact that visas began to be issued only at the end of July, when the summer season was already coming to an end, and because of the strict requirements for companies ordering such visas for their employees.

This year, the rules for issuing visas will not change, according to WSJ sources. In order to obtain a visa for a prospective employee, the applicant must prove that his company will suffer “irreparable harm” if he fails to hire foreign workers.

The program is popular with many companies, including companies that are part of the Trump business empire. Employers cannot find a sufficient number of employees in low-paying positions, especially in conditions of low unemployment, which fell to 3,9% this year. Critics of the program say that the influx of foreign workers affects wage cuts and takes jobs from Americans.

According to the WSJ, congressmen are actively persuading Nielsen to allow the issuance of additional 15 thousands of H-2B visas this year.

On the eve of this summer season, US companies have applied for visas more than thousands of foreign workers for 81. This January 1 data was provided by the US Department of Labor. By 28 April, the number of applications increased to 98 thousands. Due to increased demand, the US Department of Social Security held a lottery for the first time in history among applicants for H-2B, stating that “this will be fair given the sharply increased demand” for seasonal work visas.