DHS Announces Countries Eligible for H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs — Visa Lawyer Blog — November 14, 2022
In this blog post, we share with you the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs next year.
By law, DHS has the authority to update the eligible countries lists at any time by publishing a notice in the Federal Register, if the agency determines that a country fails to meet the requirements for continued designation.
The H-2A and H-2B visa programs enable U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural and nonagricultural jobs, respectively.
USCIS approves H-2A and H-2B petitions only for nationals of countries that the secretary of homeland security has designated as eligible to participate in the programs. However, USCIS may approve H-2A and H-2B petitions, including those that were pending as of the date of publication of the Federal Register Notice, for nationals of countries not on the lists on a case-by-case basis only if doing so is determined to be in the interest of the United States.
Beginning November 10, nationals of the following countries are eligible to receive H-2A and H-2B visas, including the Kingdom of Eswatini (Eswatini) which was recently added to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs.
To view the complete notice in the Federal Register please click here.
List of Eligible Countries
|
Andorra |
The Kingdom of Eswatini |
Madagascar |
Saint Lucia |
|
Argentina |
Fiji |
Malta |
San Marino |
|
Australia |
Finland |
Mauritius |
Serbia |
|
Austria |
France |
Mexico |
Singapore |
|
Barbados |
Germany |
Monaco |
Slovakia |
|
Belgium |
Greece |
Mongolia* |
Slovenia |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Grenada |
Montenegro |
Solomon Islands |
|
Brazil |
Guatemala |
Mozambique |
South Africa |
|
Brunei |
Haiti |
Nauru |
South Korea |
|
Bulgaria |
Honduras |
The Netherlands |
Spain |
|
Canada |
Hungary |
New Zealand |
St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
|
Chile |
Iceland |
Nicaragua |
Sweden |
|
Colombia |
Ireland |
North Macedonia |
Switzerland |
|
Costa Rica |
Israel |
Norway |
Taiwan*** |
|
Croatia |
Italy |
Panama |
Thailand |
|
Republic of Cyprus |
Jamaica |
Papua New Guinea |
Timor-Leste |
|
Czech Republic |
Japan |
Paraguay** |
Turkey |
|
Denmark |
Kiribati |
Peru |
Tuvalu |
|
Dominican Republic |
Latvia |
The Philippines* |
Ukraine |
|
Ecuador |
Liechtenstein |
Poland |
United Kingdom |
|
El Salvador |
Lithuania |
Portugal |
Uruguay |
|
Estonia |
Luxembourg |
Romania |
Vanuatu |
*Mongolia and the Philippines are eligible to participate in the H-2B program but are not eligible to participate in the H-2A program.
**Paraguay is eligible to participate in the H-2A program but is not eligible to participate in the H-2B program.
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