Introduction
For many seasonal, migrant workers the H-2B visa process can be a real challenge. Yet, as an increasing number of businesses require to take on seasonal workers in order to complete their work, it is also important for those workers and for businesses alike to understand which countries make up the H-2B workforce. In this article we explore ten of the main countries that make up the H-2B workforce and how their participation affects both workers and employers.
Mexico: Leading Source of H-2B Visa Recipients
Foreign Nationals and Their Families Needing Assistance With The H-2B Visa Process - We Can Help You. The vast majority of approved H-2B applications are for Mexican workers, with a recent high of over 90,000 approved applications. It appears that the demand for temporary work in industries such as hospitality and construction is growing. Mexicans are some of the hardest working foreign nationals and they along with their families are drawn to the U.S. because it is close to Mexico. The need for Mexican workers to supplement the U.S. work force in various industries to complete the labor needs of U.S. employers in order to earn wages to return to Mexico to support their families is a reality. Mexican workers approved for H-2B's are the backbone of the U.S. economy for the season in which they are working in the U.S. to earn wages to return to Mexico to support their families.
Hispanic immigrants like you need an expert H-2B lawyer. We at Vasquez Law Firm are sensitive to the plight of individuals seeking to enter the U.S. to work temporarily. Our staff of foreign work visa attorneys are hard working, compassionate, and highly skilled. We will make sure that you know what is going on throughout the entire process. We speak English and Spanish and have payment plans to suit your budget. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to handle emergencies and to answer your H-2B questions. We are here to guide you through the process.
Jamaica: A Major Contributor to H-2B Workforce
Many Jamaican citizens find it extremely difficult to obtain a temporary visa to the United States in order to look for or secure work. On the other hand, every year over 12,000 Jamaican nationals travel the globe in search of opportunities to enhance their lives and those of their families. The Government of Jamaica actively supports a number of programs that are designed to take full advantage of these opportunities. Many of the programs that cater to travelers from Jamaica find suitable employment in the hospitality industry right here in the United States.
With their strong work ethic and their ability to be flexible in order to deal with changing circumstances, workers from the Island of Jamaica are very attractive candidates for employment. These workers take great pride in being able to travel to and work in the United States in order to gain valuable work experience and earn a steady income, which they can take back to the Island to support their families, to improve their communities, and to support their loved ones.
Guatemala: Essential Source for H-2B Visa Workers
Thousands of Guatemalans travel to the United States each year in search of opportunities to work for a short period of time. The government of Guatemala has been taking steps in the right direction to assist its citizens traveling to the U.S. for work by collaborating with U.S. seasonal employers from industries such as landscaping and hospitality. The Department of Labor recently increased the amount of H-2B-2 visas for H-2B visa countries for the year of 2026 allowing both previous and new workers to travel to the U.S. to fill the workforce needs.
Guatemalan workers will be able to earn enough while in the U.S. to change their lives back home. The average daily wage for Guatemalan workers is $10. Every year over 100,000 workers return to Guatemala. They have a year’s worth of savings with them to start to change their lives. In 2023 for example the total amount of remittances that they brought back to families and communities in Guatemala was a record $19.8 billion.
Honduras: Key Player in H-2B Visa Applications
In their search for better working and living conditions and to strengthen the economies of their families and their homes, Hondurans consider temporary migration to other countries. The government of Honduras is pushing for job opportunities for its citizens in the United States. Among agriculture and hospitality, there are many jobs that allow for a steady income to work and support their families. Recently, the US Department of Labor announced 64,716 more temporary work permits for foreign labor in the US for Fiscal Year 2026. This number is more than what the department initially proposed for the season and for both categories of temporary foreign workers in high demand. These so-called non-agricultural, temporary work permits are granted for work for which adequate levels of unemployed US workers are not available. This type of work authorization allows for temporary work in the US for several months or even years and is often a lifeline for families wanting to improve their economic situation.
Philippines: Important Contributor to H-2B Visa Workforce
Need assistance in securing appropriate temporary status, or other Filipino workers that are skilled like you seeking guidance on potential work arrangements entering US for work in the health care industry, or the hospitality field. Each year thousands of Filipino workers enter the US and use various work visas amongst others to seek opportunities to better their lives while at same time enhancing lives of loved ones back in Philippines. A whole new generation of Filipino health care workers, and hospitality workers enter US industries by 2026, providing further assistance to foreign nationals in obtaining the required green cards or other employment-based immigration documents such as an employment authorization document, are the skilled and knowledgeable immigration lawyers at Vasquez Law Firm providing quality legal services to US and foreign clients alike. Their bilingual services (English/Spanish), flexible payment plans, and free initial consultations have served the needs of their clients very well.
South Africa: Emerging Source for H-2B Visa Workers
There are emerging temporary work abroad opportunities for South Africans. An abundance of short-term work opportunities in the USA have recently emerged with the South African Government promoting the various temporary work opportunities abroad for the South African employee. The emerging short-term work opportunities abroad in countries like the USA will primarily be within the hospitality industry as well as the construction industry where the South African employee can search for economic opportunities to earn a good salary whilst traveling. The South African employee is highly sought after due to their invaluable skills within the workplace and excellent work ethic whilst adapting to the work environment.
An additional stream of temporary work abroad opportunities for South Africans has just opened up. The newly launched guest employment permits, to be made available in the following fiscal year in huge numbers, will afford employees from South Africa new avenues of experience while earning a decent salary, while at the same time having the opportunity of helping to develop their community back home. US Senator Mike Rounds recently spoke in an interview, saying “Chronic labor shortages encountered by seasonal U.S. employers throughout the nation’s history have been worsened by the post-pandemic transformation of the American workforce.” He added that “The employee from South Africa possesses invaluable skills and is strongly sought after as they possess great work ethic and can adapt to any work environment.”
New short-term employment opportunities abroad have recently emerged for South African employees who would like to travel to and work in various foreign countries in short-term stints, while earning good salaries, gaining valuable work experience while, in the process, amassing resources of value to be transferred to and invested in the employee’s community or city in South Africa. This emerging opportunity will also present great interest for temporary work permits for employees from South Africa as emerging trends are indicating sharply upwards for interest in such opportunities for short-term stints of employment abroad in order to lift up the economic circumstances of the employees from South Africa by enabling them to explore various different opportunities that would aid in their economic upliftment and also in increasing their financial resources to be channeled back to their community or city in South Africa and be put to good use.
Ecuador: Notable Contributor to H-2B Visa Program
Ecuadorians at Work in North America. In this video, people from all over Ecuador are flocking to Ecuador’s stand at a global work place recruitment forum in Beijing, the capital of China. They are looking for work to support their families in Ecuador. Some have already found work in agriculture, in hotels and in the construction field in Ecuador and other countries. The Ecuador government is also going to great lengths to support its citizens who are looking for work abroad, not only for their own financial benefit but also for the financial benefit of their families and communities in Ecuador.
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Costa Rica: Significant Source of H-2B Visa Workers
For many Costa Ricans seeking work abroad, temporary labor programs orchestrated by their government are the doorway to better opportunities in countries such as the U.S. Every year, thousands of Costa Ricans are migrating to countries such as the U.S. in search of work, seeking short-term seasonal employment in agricultural or hospitality work to earn money to return to Costa Rica to support themselves and their families. Work abroad programs can open up new doors for individuals from Costa Rica to seek improved economic opportunities and support their families.
Dominican Republic: Key Source for H-2B Visa Holders
Temporary Work, Permanent Struggle (Dominicans searching for better opportunities in the US). Dominicans are traveling to the US to seek work in agricultural, hospitality and construction seasonal jobs, in search of temporary and short-term work in order to add to the economy of the US during the periods of highest demand and when there is a labor shortage. Thousands of Dominican workers hope to be granted visas in the coming years to travel and work temporarily in the US even when the number of permits for work in the US is expected to decline in the years to come. By opening up the process for hiring Dominican workers to temporarily work in the US in order to be able to return to the Dominican Republic to be with their families, the Dominican government is seeking to facilitate the flow of their citizens to US employers. Dominican workers have long been going to the U.S. in search of work to support themselves and their families back in the Dominican Republic. In season agricultural areas throughout the country, and in hotels and restaurants throughout the country’s leading tourist destinations, these hard working workers, temporarily in the US to work in order to earn a decent wage in order to support their families, are doing the work that allows the U.S. economy to function.
But for those hardworking individuals who make the arduous journey to the US in search of work in agricultural, hospitality, and construction fields, the processes established by the Dominican government to smoothly contract out seasonal labor to US farms, hotels, and restaurants will enable these workers to cross the border in search of a decent wage to support themselves and their families back home. As Leonard J. ’D’Arrigo wrote in his article, The Value of the Temporary Worker Program, “The conclusion is evident: seasonal labor shortages are persistent, and an increasing number of employers are relying on the temporary worker initiative each year to remain functional.”
The temporary workforce comprised of Dominican workers are critical to the farming industry. While many farms are located in areas that are seasonally reliant on labor, the hospitality industry in high tourist areas such as hotels and restaurants also rely on the seasonal temporary worker. These workers and their families are counting on this program for support as they embark on their journey to work in the U.S. Every worker’s journey matters!
Nicaragua: Important Player in H-2B Visa Landscape
Seasonal agricultural and hospitality work in the United States provides many opportunities for Nicaraguans and citizens of other countries to work temporarily abroad and send remittances back to family members and support other activities in their home countries.
The government of Nicaragua supports the work of its citizens and residents who are seeking and obtaining work abroad and will keep its citizens and residents informed of future work abroad opportunities as well as the required temporary work permits for such work abroad opportunities in 2026.
Currently, the Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the Department of Labor has made available 64,716 additional visas for U.S. employers seeking to use foreign temporary workers in various industries for work that will be for a temporary period of time when there are not enough qualified U.S. workers available for such work.
Such H-2B program opportunities bring hope of better work opportunities for Nicaraguans in these hard economic times and can be very competitive and time consuming for the applicant.
Information about the H-2B “countries” can be very beneficial for many Nicaraguan families.
Conclusion
The H-2B Program workers in the US have different backgrounds. Since the Mexican worker forms the backbone of the H-2B Program, we look at the journeys and desires of Mexican and other foreign workers. There are foreign workers from South Africa and Nicaragua as well as a number of other countries working in the US through the H-2B visa program. The Mexican foreign worker travels from his or her home in Mexico through a long and arduous process to be a temporary worker in the US to earn enough money to support his or her family in Mexico. The other foreign workers in the H-2B Program follow a similar journey to earn enough money to return and work for the governments of their countries to develop their communities. The H-2B Program is equally important for the US businesses that rely on the foreign workers to keep their businesses running.
Even though the vast majority of foreign workers in the H-2B program are from Mexico, the program is actually composed of temporary workforce from around the world. Now, there are a number of countries from all around the world which are increasingly adding to the pool of foreign workers who travel to the U.S. to work in agriculture and hospitality under the H-2B program. Countries like Jamaica, Guatemala, and the Philippines have many foreign workers traveling to the U.S. to work in such industries to support the companies and employers who need them to keep their businesses running successfully. The foreign workers travel to the U.S. and then return to their countries to work in industries that are attempting to develop their respective communities. As can be seen from the countries listed above, the H-2B visa program is also crucial to foreign workers as well as U.S. businesses.
Help us help you overcome the bureaucratic red tape that often is in place to prevent H-2B workers from reaching their ultimate goal of earning enough money to take back to their families: Vasquez Law Firm works with both foreign workers and U.S. employers going through the H-2B process. Vasquez Law Firm helps its H-2B clients with all stages of the program, using two languages, Spanish and English, and we offer a variety of payment plans to suit most any clients’ budget, including free initial consultations. Join us and let us help you achieve your potential.
Join us in helping to serve and assist these workers in achieving their goals. By seeking help, a door of opportunity is opened to allow for positive change in their lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary source of H-2B visa recipients?
The vast majority of approved H-2B applications are for Mexican workers, with over 90,000 approved applications recently.
Why are Mexican workers drawn to the U.S. for H-2B visas?
Mexican workers are attracted to the U.S. due to its proximity to Mexico and the opportunity to earn wages that they can send back to support their families.
What industries are experiencing a growing demand for H-2B workers?
There is a growing demand for temporary work in industries such as hospitality and construction.
How does Vasquez Law Firm assist individuals seeking H-2B visas?
Vasquez Law Firm provides expert legal assistance for the H-2B visa process, offering bilingual services in English and Spanish, flexible payment plans, and 24/7 availability for emergencies.
What challenges do Jamaican citizens face in obtaining H-2B visas?
Many Jamaican citizens find it extremely difficult to obtain a temporary visa to the U.S. for work, despite the Government of Jamaica supporting programs to help them secure employment abroad.
What industries do Jamaican workers typically find employment in the U.S.?
Jamaican workers often find suitable employment in the hospitality industry in the United States.
How does the Guatemalan government support its citizens seeking H-2B visas?
The Guatemalan government collaborates with U.S. seasonal employers to assist its citizens in finding work in industries such as landscaping and hospitality.
What recent changes have been made regarding H-2B visas for Guatemalan workers?
The Department of Labor has increased the number of H-2B-2 visas for H-2B visa countries for the year 2026, allowing more workers to travel to the U.S.
What financial impact do Guatemalan workers have when they return home?
Guatemalan workers can earn enough in the U.S. to significantly improve their lives back home, with record remittances of $19.8 billion sent back to families and communities in 2023.
List of Sources
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