For many years, American landscape companies have relied on H-2B visas to bring foreign seasonal, non-agricultural workers to assist them during their busiest seasons of the year. Landscape company owners are reporting an inability to get requested H-2B visas for foreign workers this year, which has resulted in permanent staff working longer hours, contracts not being fulfilled in a timely manner, lost profits, and more customer complaints.
Companies are required to try to find American workers to fill positions before they can apply for H-2B visas. However, these companies indicate that the demand for foreign workers has increased, simply because fewer Americans are out of work and willing to accept seasonal positions in the landscaping industry.
Landscape Businesses Suffering Due to U.S. Visa Policies
The federal government has 66,000 slots for H-2B visa workers each year, which are issued on a semi-annual basis. When the process began for the second half of federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor received applicants for 81,600 workers, which is almost two and one-half times the number of visas available. For this reason, the federal government conducted a lottery process to fill the 33,000 remaining available spots.
Due to this high demand, the federal government offered an additional 15,000 visas for FFY 2018 only, but businesses still claim that the numbers are insufficient. The additional visas were too little, too late, since many seasonal businesses are poised to become relatively dormant during the rapidly approaching winter months. Companies find it difficult to accept business and enter into contract when they cannot be certain that they will have the workers that they need to complete the work.
Whatever your situation may be, you will need skilled legal assistance to fight for your rights and work toward a resolution of your immigration law case. The Texas immigration attorneys of Peek Law Group know how to help you navigate through the maze of USCIS forms, regulations, and policies, and get the relief that you need. Take the first step today and secure the future of your family in the U.S. Contact our office today at and set up an evaluation with one of our highly skilled Texas immigration lawyers.