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Seasonal foreign workers fill critical landscaping jobs, enabled by easier access to visas

Apr 27, 2023
The number of available H-2B visas available nearly doubled in 2023, providing more people to carry out beautification projects.
Juan Pablo Alvarez Miranda, a seasonal landscaping worker from El Salvador, on the job at Houston's Hermann Park.
Elizabeth Trovall/Marketplace

The U.S. is nearly doubling the number of seasonal worker H-2B visas it offers

Dec 14, 2022
H-2Bs, temporary non-agriculture work visas for foreigners without advanced degrees, are used for jobs in landscaping, food processing and hospitality.
The industries that rely heavily on H-2B visas also have high incidences of wage theft, said Daniel Costa at the Economic Policy Institute.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. releases more temporary visas to meet seasonal worker demand

May 25, 2021
Employers can now apply for 22,000 additional H-2B visas. Businesses who hire seasonal workers say they're more crucial than ever.
The hospitality sector, from dining to amusement parks, is a key draw for seasonal workers.
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

Trump administration poised to raise cap on seasonal visas again this year

Feb 24, 2020
H-2B visas are capped at 66,000 per year, but the law allows the Department of Homeland Security to nearly double that.
For seasonal businesses like crabbing, a visa lottery application is no guarantee.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

As crab season approaches, Maryland processing plants seek guest worker reform

Mar 19, 2019
The multimillion-dollar industry relies heavily on H-2B visa workers from Mexico and Central America.
A woman picks crabs at the W.T. Ruark Seafood Co., on May 17, 2018 in Hoopers Island, Maryland.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

H-2B visas need fixing, employers and immigration attorneys say

Jan 18, 2019
You’ve probably heard of H-1B visas. Those are the ones lots of tech firms use to bring in highly skilled workers from countries like India. Lesser-known but still vital to the economy are visas like the H-2A. Those are temporary, seasonal visas handed out to the people who help grow and harvest our food. Then there […]

Migrant workers keep carnivals running

Oct 6, 2017
The documentary “Farewell Ferris Wheel” looks at the world of Mexican migrant workers at carnivals.
"Farewell Ferris Wheel" follows a group of migrant workers from Mexico who come to the U.S. on H-2B visas to work.
Jamie Sisley & Miguel "M.i.G." Martinez

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H2-B visa demand is leaving some businesses understaffed for summer

May 10, 2017
Unemployment is at its lowest rate in roughly a decade. For lots of businesses, that means summer help is going to be harder to find — and more expensive. That’s especially true for smaller resort businesses that rely on temporary foreign workers to staff their hotels and restaurants. Those workers typically come on what’s known […]