Record demand for H-2B Visas to USA amid workforce shortage

[hasan]

Record demand for H-2B Visas to USA amid workforce shortage

<sub>Dhaka: The United States of America received more H-2B visa applications for the year's first-half allotment than total visas available, announced the US Department of Labour.

Commenting on the matter, Tori Emerson Barnes, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy, US Travel Association, said, "The overwhelming demand for H-2B worker visas—the earliest the first-half cap has ever been met—is further proof that this highly successful programme should expand to meet the country's workforce demand."

"With nearly 10 million job openings across the US economy, and 1.4 million in the leisure and hospitality sector alone, there are simply not enough American workers to meet hiring needs," he added.

"The federal government can address these critical workforce shortages—and spur the US economy—by increasing the cap on H-2B temporary worker visas."

It may be mentioned here, every year, half of the 66,000 available H-2B visas are released on April 1 and October 1.

Demand for workers for the second half of the year, which includes the busy summer months, routinely exceeds the allotment; this has not been the case, until now, for the first half of the year.

Source: https://bangladeshmonitor.com.bd/news-details/record-demand-for-h-2b-visas-to-usa-amid-workforce-shortage</sub>