- American employers are facing severe labor shortages in seasonal industries.
- Additional visas are intended to prevent financial difficulties for businesses.
- Tech sector hit with $100,000 H-1B fee amid tighter rules.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration will add about 65,000 H-2B seasonal guest worker visas through Sept. 30, a Federal Register notice said, saying the visas will be available to employers at risk of severe economic hardship due to a shortage of US labor.
The move roughly doubles the 66,000 visas available each year for businesses such as construction, hospitality, landscaping and seafood processing, recognizing that American employers in those industries may struggle to find workers.
Trump, a Republican, launched a sweeping immigration crackdown after returning to the White House in 2025, portraying undocumented immigrants as criminals and a drain on their communities. His administration has also cracked down on forms of legal immigration with broad travel bans and reviews of refugee and asylum cases.
The number of visas available was also expanded under former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Trump during periods of his 2017-2021 presidency.
Employers in the seasonal businesses – including hotels – have demanded more visas. Some construction companies have complained about labor shortages amid Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Groups that favor lower levels of immigration oppose the visas, saying they undercut the wages of American workers.
Trump has made it harder for tech companies to source workers through the H-1B program, imposing a $100,000 fee that has sparked a legal challenge.
An interim rule making the additional H-2B visas available will be formally published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the release said.
