Congress Allows Homeland Security to Boost Seasonal Worker Visas

Congress is giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to increase the number of H-2B seasonal guestworker visas as part of the government spending package passed Dec. 19.

The provision in the domestic spending bill, which the president is expected to sign, mirrors that included in appropriations measures passed over the past three years.

Rather than increasing H-2B visa numbers via legislation, the bill gives DHS the authority to boost H-2B visas for fiscal year 2020 if the agency, in consultation with the Labor Department, determines that U.S. businesses need more workers than the 66,000 visas normally available during ...