Additional H-2B Visas Help With Labor Shortage

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter. 

Visas are available to qualifying U.S. employers seeking to supplement their workforces from April 1 through September 30. 

The Department of Homeland Security recently announced a supplement to the H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker program cap with additional visas for the second half of the fiscal-year 2022. For many years, National Roofing Contractors Association members have used the H-2B program to address their workforce needs during peak season. 

“These additional H-2B visas will help employers meet the demand for seasonal workers at this most critical time, when there is a serious labor shortage,” says Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas in a press release. “The visas are accompanied by significant worker protections and provide a safe and lawful pathway for individuals to come to the United States and earn wages in jobs that are not filled by American workers.” 

These changes are the result of a letter NRCA’s CEO Reid Ribble wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, urging the administration to provide additional H-2B visas given the roofing industry’s significant labor shortage. 

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services, to qualify for H-2B nonimmigrant classification, the petitioner must establish: 

• There are not enough U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified and available to do the temporary work. 
• Employing H-2B workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. 
• Its need for the prospective worker’s services or labor is temporary, regardless of whether the underlying job can be described as temporary.  

According to NRCA, employers could petition for visas as of May 18; 23,500 visas will be made available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status during one of the past three fiscal years. The remaining 11,500 visas are reserved for individuals from El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras. 

View the joint temporary rule in the federal register. 

Learn more about NRCA in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.nrca.net.