by
Government Affairs Team
| Dec 31, 2021
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) have announced that they will soon release an additional 20,000 H-2B temporary non-immigrant visas. This is welcome news and follows sustained advocacy efforts by GCSAA and its allies in the H-2B Workforce Coalition to let the federal government know of the labor shortages that seasonal employers like golf are facing. These efforts are showing results. GCSAA noted in April that DHS released an initial 22,000 visas to supplement the low 66,000 annual cap. This 20,000 is a much-needed addition to this amount.
DHS and DOL will soon issue a joint, temporary rule. At that point, the 22,000 visas will become available. 13,500 of those visas will be directed to returning workers who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years. The remaining 6,500 are exempt from the returning worker requirement but are reserved for nationals of Haiti and the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The start of employment must be on or before March 31, 2022 (i.e., during the first half of the 2022 fiscal year, running from Oct. 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022).
This is not a perfect solution to golf’s labor needs. GCSAA knows that play has increased nationwide, and superintendents will need even more workers at their facilities during a time of unprecedented job openings elsewhere. But this action shows that the message is getting through to federal decision-makers. GCSAA will continue to fight for golf.
Congress authorized the additional visas in the FY 21 Omnibus and COVID Relief and Response Act.
This will come in a joint temporary final rule form.