Pappas Reiterates Call for H-2B Visa Reform Following Administration Announcement

Press Release

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Co-Chair of the bipartisan House Small Business Caucus, welcomed the Biden Administration's announcement that nearly 65,000 additional H2-B visas will be made available for FY 2023, and the announcement that a significant portion of these visas will be made available specifically for returning workers. 

While a step in the right direction, Pappas reiterated the call he has made to Administrations of both parties that more substantive reforms must be made to the H2-B visa program to meet the needs of New Hampshire employers.

"This is welcome news for New Hampshire employers who will have significantly more time to prepare for next season than in previous years, and for employers wishing to more easily hire returning workers for next season," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "However, to properly address New Hampshire's workforce shortage, we still need to take action to reform the H2-B visa system to streamline and simplify the application process to reduce delays in hiring, examine the lottery system used to allocate the visas, and fully reinstate the returning worker exemption. New Hampshire's small businesses need us to take action to ensure they can meet the demands of their customers, and I will continue to fight for these changes to be made."

Background: 

Pappas has been a consistent advocate for reforming the H2-B visa program to better meet the needs of New Hampshire's seasonal businesses. He has met with small businesses frequently to hear directly from them about the need to make additional H-2B visas available and additional reforms that would bolster their workforce.

In addition to increasing the number of H-2B visas available, Pappas has also repeatedly urged the Administration to exempt returning H-2B workers from counting against the cap. The returning worker exemption expired in September 2016, but Congress at the time failed to reauthorize it.

Pappas is a cosponsor of HR 3897, the H-2B Returning Worker Exception Act, which would reform the H-2B program. This legislation is supported by the US Chamber of Commerce.

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