WASHINGTON — The government will make permanent its changes to a visa program that brings foreign workers to the U.S. for temporary nonagricultural work.
The aim is to streamline and simplify the application process and increase worker protections, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said in an interview Wednesday.
The H2-B visa program allows foreign workers into the United States for specific seasonal jobs, provided the employer cannot find Americans for the work and that the foreigners return home within 10 months. Workers in the program must pass a background check, and there are provisions to ensure they return home.
The visa program is capped at 66,000 workers per year and places workers mostly in landscaping, hospitality and other industries.
