WHAT: SEA NORTHERN TRIANGLE SUMMIT WHERE: SHERATON PRESIDENTE, SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR AND GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMELA WHEN: DECEMBER 4th – 8th Please join us for SEA's Northern Triangle H-2B Summit December 4th - 8th in San Salvador, El Salvador and Guatemala City, Guatemala. This summit will provide an opportunity to...
SEA statement on DHS visa release
SEA thanks administration for its support of seasonal employers and for its commitment to reducing irregular migration and calls on Congress to pass a permanent reform of the program The Seasonal Employment Alliance would like to thank the Biden administration for recognizing the importance of the H-2B program in addressing...
SEA efforts in Northern Triangle help lead to DHS visa release
DHS has announced its intent to release the maximum number of visas permitted by Congress this fiscal year, 64,716 visas. 44,716 visas will be allocated to returning workers and 20,000 will be allocated to the Northern Triangle (NT) countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The significance of this release cannot be...
2023 SEA Annual Meeting and Auction
The 2023 SEA Annual Meeting will be in Sarasota, FL January 16th-18th, 2023. We have secured a 50 room block at the Westin for $200 a night. Although there are no formal events planned for Wednesday, the room block extends through Thursday for those who wish to extend their stay....
FAQS ON FALL/WINTER SUPPLEMENTAL VISA RELEASE
We have been in regular communication with DHS regarding the first half visa release and are hopeful of a significant first half release. FAQS: When do you expect DHS to make the announcement of a visa release? Hopefully early October. DHS will not make the announcement until the agency receives clarity...
EPI Report Presents Misleading Data
EPI report states $1.8 in back wages were assessed in industries employing H-2B workers. But only 1% of the $1.8 billion in back wages were owed to H-2B workers. On August 18th the Economic Policy Institute issued a report authored by Daniel Costa claiming that, “Employers stole $1.8 billion from...
First Half H-2B Cap/Visa Release Updates
FIRST HALF CAP UPDATE: Employers with an October 1st date of need requested 21,116 positions during last year's FY22 July 2-4 filing period. The 29,856 positions requested in the same period for FY23 represents a 41% increase over FY22. Our best estimate is that the cap will be met in early...
Assessing the FY22 Second Half NT Visa Allocation
On May 18th, 2022, DHS published a temporary final rule releasing an additional 35,000 H-2B visas for employers with a date of need between April 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022. 11,500 of the 35,000 visas were allocated to nationals of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras (Northern Central American Countries)...
SEA travels to El Salvador to observe recruitment and processing
Last May the Department of Homeland Security issued 22,000 additional H-2B visas to supplement the statutory allocation of 33,000 visas for the second half of the fiscal year. In this release, for the first time, visas were specifically allocated to the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras....
SEA applauds Biden administration for additional visa release
On behalf of the 2,500+ small and seasonal businesses the Seasonal Employment Alliance represents, we want to thank the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor for recognizing the crisis level labor shortage faced by America's small and seasonal employers by releasing 35,000 additional H-2B visas towards...