In December, Congress passed the 2020 spending bill which gave discretion to the Secretary of Homeland Security to release up to 64,000 additional visas above the statutory cap. By early January, employers applied for nearly 100,000 H2-B visas to enter a lottery to compete for the 33,000 allocated. The non-agricultural season jobs affect critical industries to San Antonio, such as landscaping, construction and hospitality.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Administration was considering releasing 20,000 additional visas immediately, and the remainder in June.
Last month, your Chamber wrote our Bexar County delegation asking for their support in requesting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) release additional visas. Today, we sent another letter today to our federal representatives and senators asking that they urge DHS to release the visas now. We now encourage you to reach out to your elected officials and ask for their support. Feel free to use our letter as a template. Please contact Chamber President & CEO Richard Perez or my Vice President of Economic Development, Belinda Garza Hartwig at 210-229-2199 or bhartwig@sachamber.org with any questions.
