USCIS Announces 63 Countries Eligible to Participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of State, has added Austria, Italy, Panama, and Thailand to the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa programs for the coming year. The notice listing the 63 eligible countries published January 17, 2014 in the Federal Register. The H-2A and H-2B Visa programs allow U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural and nonagricultural jobs, respectively. Generally, USCIS only approves H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries the secretary of Homeland Security has designated as eligible to participate in the programs. USCIS may approve H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries not on the list if it is determined to be in the interest of the United States. Effective Jan. 18, 2014, nationals of the following 63 countries are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa programs: Argentina Fiji Mexico Slovakia Australia Grenada Moldova Slovenia Austria Guatemala Montenegro Solomon Islands Barbados Haiti Nauru South Africa Belize Honduras The Netherlands South Korea Brazil Hungary Nicaragua Spain Bulgaria Iceland New Zealand Switzerland Canada Ireland Norway Thailand Chile Israel Panama Tonga Costa Rica Italy Papua New Guinea Turkey Croatia Jamaica Peru Tuvalu Dominican Republic Japan The Philippines Ukraine Ecuador Kiribati Poland United Kingdom El Salvador Latvia Romania Uruguay Estonia Lithuania Samoa Vanuatu Ethiopia Macedonia Serbia This notice does not affect the status of beneficiaries who currently are in the United States in H-2A or H-2B status unless they apply to change or extend their status. Each country’s designation is valid for one year from January 18, 2014. For more information on USCIS and its programs please visit uscis.gov.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 17:45:51 +0000
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