(By Ernesto Cooke) – The DHS said that St Vincent and the Grenadines are among a list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2B visa program.
According to the United States Department Of Homeland Security, Nationals of SVG are eligible to participate in both the H-2A and H-2B visa programs through January 2022,
There are 82 approved countries whose citizens are eligible for H-2A visas and 83 countries whose citizens can apply for H-2B visas in 2021.
The eligibility designation expires after one year and must be renewed.
The notice does not affect workers currently in H-2A or H-2B status unless they apply to change or extend their status.
The DHS considers several factors when deciding which countries to include for eligibility, including the country’s cooperation in receiving its citizens who are subject to a final order of removal from the U.S., and the number of orders of removal executed against nationals of that country.
Reasons to remove a country from the list include fraud, abuse, visa denial rates, overstay rates, human trafficking concerns, and noncompliance with H-2A and H-2B terms and conditions by nationals of that country.
The DHS also considers evidence of economic impact on U.S. industries or regions resulting from the inclusion or exclusion of specific countries.
