DHS publishes list of countries eligible for H-2A, H-2B visa programs

The Department of Homeland Security has published lists of countries whose nationals will be eligible for the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in the upcoming year.

‌Key Points:

• The lists are mostly unchanged from last year, with one addition, Bolivia, to both lists.
• All nationals who were eligible for the H-2A and H-2B visa programs last year will remain eligible this year.
• Nationals of Mongolia and the Philippines will remain eligible for the H-2B visa program but not the H-2A program. Nationals of Paraguay will remain eligible for the H-2A program but not the H-2B program.
• Nationals of countries that are not on the lists may be eligible for H-2A or H-2B visas on a case-by-case basis if U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services makes a determination that issuing a visa would be in the national interest.

Additional Information: The countries whose nationals are eligible for the H-2A and H-2B visa programs are as follows:

• Andorra
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Republic of Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• The Kingdom of Eswatini
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Kiribati
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Madagascar
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Mongolia*
• Montenegro
• Mozambique
• Nauru
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay**
• Peru
• The Philippines*
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Saint Lucia
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Vincent and the Grenadines
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan***
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Turkey
• Tuvalu
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• Uruguay
• Vanuatu

*Mongolia and the Philippines are eligible to participate in the H-2B program but are not eligible to participate in the H-2A program.

**Paraguay is eligible to participate in the H-2A program but is not eligible to participate in the H-2B program.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

Copyright © 2023 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.