The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State, have added five Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries among others worldwide that are eligible to participate in visa programmes.
On Friday, USCIS announced that Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Haiti, and Jamaica are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa programmes, effective January 18, 2016.
Sixty-eight countries globally are eligible to participate in the visa programme on that effective date.
It said H-2A and H-2B Visa programmes allow US employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural and non-agricultural jobs, respectively.
“Typically, USCIS only approves H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated as eligible to participate in the programmes,” the statement said.
“USCIS, however, may approve H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries not on the list if it is determined to be in the interest of the United States,” it added.
USCIS said the DHS reserves the right to add countries to the eligible countries list at any time, and to remove any country at any time DHS determines that a country fails to meet the requirements for continued designation.
The notice does not affect the status of beneficiaries who currently are in the United States in H-2A or H-2B status unless they apply to change or extend their status.
Each country’s designation is valid for one year from January 18, 2016.
Met,
How do you apply for the opportunity for the H2B Visa to work abroad from Jamaica? Where are the places to go and apply?
I dont think u can apply for it directly…u have to go through a program and the program has to submit some documents to the embassy and then its taken from there..
Wasn’t Jamaica always eligible for this or was it taken away?