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.

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