Harris Announces Release of Supplemental H-2B Seasonal Guest Worker Visas

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris, M.D., announced today that pursuant to the Harris Amendment allowing the release of supplemental H-2B visas as adopted to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which passed into law in December, the Department of Homeland Security has announced a supplemental allocation of 22,000 additional visas for the 2021 fiscal year.  Under the Harris Amendment, the Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to release supplemental visas up to nearly double the 66,000 annual statutory cap should he find the need for additional visas exists.  Congressman Harris wrote a letter to the Administration in March urging them to quickly release sufficient visas to meet the needs of seasonal employers.

Congressman Harris issued the following statement:

“Our seafood processors and other local seasonal businesses depend on the labor of H-2B employees.  Before obtaining H-2B visa employees, employers must make extensive efforts to recruit American workers, hire any qualified American worker who applies for the position, and prove that they were unable to hire American workers for the position.  This program is a win-win for the American taxpayer, as these non-immigrant guest workers come here on a seasonal basis, pay taxes, contribute to the local economy, support American jobs and businesses, and then return to their home countries.  While I appreciate the Secretary acting on my request and providing some relief, I am concerned that this number will be insufficient to meet the full demand of our seasonal employers as we come off the pandemic.  I will continue to work to ensure that my local seasonal businesses and the many American workers they employ are able to bring in the temporary foreign workers they need to meet their seasonal labor demands.”