On April 20th DHS announced its intention to release an additional 22,000 H-2B visas for the 2021 season with 6,000 of these visas reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. This is holy insufficient to meet the demand for 60,000+ visas. If DOL...
Frequently Asked Questions on additional visa release
Is the 22,000 number set in stone? We believe so but it does not mean that we and our Congressional supporters are not pushing for a higher number. We know that Congressman Keating (D-MA-9) has spoken with Secretary Walsh since the announcement and made clear that 22,000 visas is insufficient...
DHS confirms, 22,000 visas to be released
Bloomberg reports, and it has since been confirmed by DHS, that DHS plans to release an additional 22,000 H-2B visas with 6,000 of the 22,000 allocated to the nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. A few comments: We believe this number is set in...
Seasonal Employment Alliance statement on additional visa release
April 20, 2021: 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 dire straits of seasonal employers by releasing 22,000 additional H-2B visas. Although this...
Update on additional visa release
Unfortunately, there has been no word from the administration since DHS' H-2B listening session last Thursday. I received this short response to my follow up thank you email to DHS staffer Gary Merson. Thank you, Gray. Pls know that we are hard at work, reviewing the available data and in...
Economic impact survey results
Thank you to those of you who completed the economic impact survey. Today, we submitted the report to DHS and DOL administration officials. One item of note, that our opponents ignore, is that additional American worker applicants does not equate to additional American workers for seasonal employers. Our survey respondents...
2021 PGA Championship package
Thanks to the generosity of our D.C. consultant Stephen Replogle, SEA members have the incredible opportunity to attend the 2021 PGA Championship in Kiawah Island, SC while also supporting the fight for H-2B cap relief. This is an especially unique opportunity considering the tournament has instituted capacity restrictions, reducing the...
New Sheriff in Town: The Biden Administration and the H-2B Program
Is the Biden administration going to be more supportive of H-2B than the Trump administration and when will they release additional visas? I am asked this question perhaps more than any other, and the answer is not black and white. Although on the surface it may seem that the Democrats...
SEA, CIS, seasonal employers hold panel discussion on workforce issues faced by seasonal employers
On September 22nd we hosted a a panel discussion with the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) titled, "Are guest-worker programs needed in today's COVID economy?" We sincerely appreciate CIS' participation in this important discussion. In this current political climate, it is not often that two opposing sides are willing to...
Future of Oakley Valley Idaho stone quarries in doubt due to lack of workers
Update: Newsy ran a story on the impact of the H-2B cap/ban on the Idaho stone industry. Click here to watch the video. The Oakley Valley region of Idaho is home to some of the most prized stone in the United States, the famous Oakley quartzite. Due to the limited...