Nationals of 39 Countries can Participate in H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) based on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations have decided to approve H-2A and H-2B non-immigrant status petitions only for the nationals of certain countries specified by the Secretary of Homeland Security in a notice published in the Federal Register.
Secretary of Homeland Security along with the Secretary of State in the notice published in the Federal Register had considered around nationals of 39 countries as eligible to participate in the H–2A and H–2B visa programs in the coming year. Of the 39 countries whose nationals were termed eligible for H-2A and H-2B programs, only 28 countries were given the initial designation. The remaining 11 countries were added to the list only after taking into account certain conditions.
39 countries eligible for these non-immigrant visa programs include: Argentina, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
Among the above countries, the 11 countries that are considered for the first time to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs are Croatia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ireland, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Serbia, Slovakia, and Uruguay.
The 28 countries out of the 39 that were approved earlier for participating in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs were already designated in the December 18 and 19, 2008 notices. They remain designated even this year as they continue to meet the standards identified in the notices issued earlier.
The notice including the 39 countries nationals has been made active since January 18, 2010 and will continue to be so till the end of one year after January 18, 2010. Also individuals who already hold H-2A and H-2B non-immigrant status will in no way be affected by the notice issued.