An additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for the fiscal year 2023 will be available to employers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in collaboration with the Department of Labor (DOL), has announced.
The DHS said that the visas, that will be made available in a regulation it will issue, are in addition to the 66,000 H-2B visas that are typically available each fiscal year, according to an Oct. 12 DHS news release.
“The Department of Homeland Security is moving with unprecedented speed to meet the needs of American businesses,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, according to the release.
By making this allocation at the start of the fiscal year it will ensure that during a time of record job growth, the department will ensure that businesses can plan for peak season labor needs, Mayorkas said, the release reported.
The agencies will strengthen worker protections to safeguard the program’s integrity from employers who would seek to exploit workers by maintaining unsafe work conditions and paying substandard wages, Mayorkas said.
