An additional 64,716 H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers will be available for federal fiscal year 2025, which began Oct. 1. The visas, announced on Nov. 15 by the US Department of Homeland Security, will be in addition to the congressionally mandated existing 66,000 H-2B visas available each year.  

“By maximizing the use of the H-2B visa program, the Department of Homeland Security is helping to ensure the labor needs of American businesses are met, keeping prices down for consumers while strengthening worker protections and deterring irregular migration to the United States,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a press release. 

Companies using H-2B visas include those in hospitality, tourism, landscaping and seafood processing. 

Plans call for the supplemental H-2B visas to include an allocation of 20,000 for workers from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador or Costa Rica. In addition, 44,716 will be available 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 supplemental visas will be allocated throughout the fiscal year, with a portion reserved for the peak summer season. 

The department said safeguards are in place to ensure employers first seek out and recruit American workers and that foreign workers hired are not exploited by unscrupulous employers. 

“The release of over 64,000 additional H-2B visas is a welcome relief for small businesses throughout Maine that continue to face a shortage of employees,” US Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, who had pushed for the increase, said in a press statement. “These visas are a lifeline for our state’s economy, helping businesses meet the increasing demand for their products and services, especially as we enter the winter tourism season.”