The United States government has announced important updates to the temporary agricultural and non-agricultural work visa programs. From now on, Bolivia joins the list of countries that benefit from temporary work visas in the US.
Due to this announcement, thousands of individuals will be able to have access to temporary visas to work legally in the United States during fiscal year 2024. Despite this, processing immigration documents is usually not an easy task, so we advise you to contact our immigration lawyers in New Jersey to help you.
How does this decision affect you?
With the recent addition of Bolivia, there are almost 90 countries where their citizens can request the H-2A visa program and the H-2B visa.
Before this update, there were already other countries that were part of this list, such as:
- Argentina,
- Brazil,
- Chile,
- Guatemala,
- Haiti,
- Costa Rica,
- Colombia,
- Mexico,
- Dominican Republic,
- El Salvador,
- Honduras,
- Panama,
- Peru, and
- Uruguay.
It is important to note that Paraguay can also participate in the H-2A visa program, but not in the H-2B visa program. This is as clarified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
That said, US employers will now be able to bring Bolivian citizens to the United States to fill agricultural and non-agricultural jobs.
H-2B visas are those that allow foreigners to work in American companies dedicated to hospitality, tourism, landscaping, and so on..
Considerations to take into account
Despite this announcement, the agency also added that it has the authority to amend the list at any time if the government determines that: “A country does not meet the requirements to continue its designation.”
Additionally, factors that may result in a country’s exclusion or removal from this list include the following cases:
- Fraud,
- High rates of permanence in the country after the expiration of visas,
- Abuse, and
- Other forms of non-compliance with the terms and conditions of the program.
If you are about to process these visas, or any other type of US visa, do not hesitate to contact us, as we will help you throughout the legal process that this entails.
