Countries eligible for H-2A and H-2B visas designated for 2011

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State have identified 53 countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs in the coming year.

The H-2A program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the U.S. for temporary agricultural employment. The H-2B program allows foreign nationals to be brought to the U.S. for temporary non-agricultural employment. With few exceptions, USCIS only approves petitions from nationals of countries designated by the Secretary of DHS as eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B program. The new list of eligible countries is announced in the Federal Register and is valid for one year from the date of publication.

As of January 18, 2011, citizens of the following Latin countries are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B:

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay.

This new list does not affect the status of individuals currently holding H-2A or H-2B visas.