October 24, 2024

Manchin, Bipartisan Colleagues Push for Maximum H2-B Visas to Support Small Businesses in 2025

H-2B visas help employers fill temporary, seasonal positions

Charleston, WV – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in urging the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

H-2B visas allow small businesses across the country, including in West Virginia, to fill vital staffing needs when there are not enough able and willing workers to fill these temporary, seasonal positions. As required by law, employers must first make a concerted effort to hire American workers to fill open positions; when the local workforce is insufficient, H-2Bs can be used as a necessary tool to support local economies. The H-2B visa program allows West Virginia businesses to grow and thrive.

“Many employers turn to the H-2B program to meet their workforce needs to not only sustain their businesses, but also support their American workers. The H-2B program places requirements on employers to recruit U.S. workers, who are intentionally prioritized by the program and also receive demonstrated, positive impacts from their seasonal colleagues,” the Senators wrote in part. “The most current employment data illustrates the workforce struggles of seasonal businesses nationwide. The Department of Labor’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Surveys (JOLTS) show the rate of job openings have increased year over year for the industries that represent the top five H-2B occupations.”

The letter was also signed by Senators Angus King (I-ME), Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Barrasso (R-WY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Fetterman (D-PA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), George Helmy (D-NJ), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Tim Scott (R-SC).

The full text of the letter is available below and here.