From NTRA
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2019) — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that it will begin accepting petitions on Wednesday, May 8 for 30,000 additional H-2B visas restricted to returning workers for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. Rules set to be published in Wednesday’s Federal Register include the following language.
“Starting on the expected date of May 8, 2019, eligible petitioners seeking additional H-2B workers can file Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and must submit a supplemental attestation on Form ETA 9142-B-CAA-3 with their petition.”
Details on eligibility and filing requirements are available in the final rule and at USCIS.gov.
The supplemental H-2B visas are available only to returning workers who received an H-2B visa, or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years (FY 2016, 2017, or 2018), and availability is restricted by prioritizing only those businesses who would suffer irreparable harm without the additional workers.
“We applaud the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor for this joint rule making available an additional 30,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for Fiscal Year 2019,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “Even though these supplemental H-2B visas are available only to returning workers and there is an irreparable harm limitation, many Thoroughbred trainers will no doubt qualify for these visas because of the labor shortage that is now the norm on racetrack backstretches.”
Waldrop further added, “We urge Congress to pass legislation to permanently and significantly expand the number of H-2B visas made available on an annual basis.”
The H-2B visa program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by businesses in various industries that require temporary, non-agricultural workers when domestic workers are unavailable. Within the horse racing industry, racehorse trainers rely heavily on the program to fill many backside positions.