We bring you the list of the 58 countries that were qualified as eligible to be a part of the H-2A and H-2B programs
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State had announced a list of 58 countries whose nationals will be able to participate on the H-2A and H-2B programs next year. This information will be published in the Federal Register.
These programs (H-2A and H-2B) allow U.S. employers to call for foreign workers to do temporary agricultural and nonagricultural jobs respectively. Only workers in designated countries can be eligible and, in January 18th 2012, 58 countries were chosen as eligible for this.
Here is the list of the H-2A and H-2B eligible countries:
Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kiribati, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Nauru, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Samoa, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Vanuatu.
With these, other five countries were first timers this year: Haiti, Montenegro, Spain and Switzerland were designated for the first time to be a part of these programs.
This new list does not affect those workers who are already in the U.S. as part of the H-2A or H-2B programs, and they are still able to change or extend their status in that country.