July 5, 2015 — SEAFOODNEWS.COM — The US Immigration Services (USCIS) has received fewer than the expected amount of requests for H-2B temporary work visa permits and has reopened the application process for workers seekign employement from now until September 30 of this year.
The USCIS closed the H-2B application process on April 2, 2015 after the department met the congressionally mandated annual cap of 66,000 H-2B visas.
“From June 3, 2014 through March 26, 2015, USCIS accepted about 3,900 petitions (consisting of about 77,000 beneficiaries) towards the H-2B FY15 cap. USCIS believed this was sufficient to fully utilize the FY15 cap,” the USCIS said in a statement.
However, a further review of the application process found that the State Department had not received as many applications as originall expected.
“A recent analysis of DOS H-2B visa issuance and USCIS petition data reveals that the number of actual H-2B visas issued by DOS is substantially less than the number of H-2B beneficiaries seeking consular notification listed on cap-subject H-2B petitions approved by USCIS,” the USCIS said in a statement.
These findings have promoted the department to re-open the application process for those seeking work with an H-2B visa.
According to the USCIS employers seeking to fill the H-2B cap number can submit Form I-129 with all required documents, including an approved Temporary Labor Certification (TLC) from the Department of Labor that is valid for the entire employment period stated on the petition; and indicate an employment start date between April 1 and September 30, 2015.
This opinion piece originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.