A group of migrants, including 11 Salvadorans, work at Baumann Farms in Wausau, Wisconsin, United States, where they do agricultural work. –
The United States Embassy in El Salvador increased by more than 9 % issuance of visas to work temporarily in that country during the last fiscal year 2024, according to data from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs compared to fiscal year 2023.
According to the net figure, between October 1 of 2023 and September 30 of this year, which includes the United States fiscal year, were delivered 5,676 temporary work visas to Salvadorans compared to 5,168 awarded in the previous fiscal year.
The labour mobility programme covers the H-2A and H-2B visasThe first is for those looking to do agricultural work in the United States, while, the type B visa is to be made Service work.
Keva Luke, deputy spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in El Salvador.
“It has a very great advantage, it is a way to travel in the United States, it is a legal, safe and sustainable way and they can work in the short term and also many families who benefit from that program because parents, families return to the country and can invest in their community and can open businesses and thus build growth.”
Keva Luke,
Deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador.
The figure has a dramatic increase when compared to fiscal year 2022 when 2,874 temporary work visas were delivered, an increase of more than 97 per cent over the past three years. Between the tax years of 2022, 2023 and 2024, at least 13,718 visas have been issued for temporary work in the United States from El Salvador.
The H2 visa there are two types of visa, the H-2A visa that has to do with the agricultural industry and also the H2-B visa that has to do with services, landscaping, hospitality, and other specialized services. The United States through USAID and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide this opportunity for eligible workers to work in the United States, Keva Luke, deputy spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in El Salvador, said this week.
Luke explained that in the case of the H-2A visas there is no limit in the labour mobility programme, and it is intended, mainly but not exclusively, for those with some agricultural experience, regardless of the harvested product.
Visas can be approved for each work season, depending on the need of each company It may be short-term, a few months, but on average, Salvadorans have come here about four months.“It’s a ,” Luke added.
What do I need to apply to an H-2 visa?
To apply to the Labour Mobility Programme the person must be 18 years of age or older, not having entered or remained irregularly in the United States, not having a criminal record or judicial proceedings, enjoy good health and having been vaccinated against the covid-19, and also, rHe went to El Salvador after finishing his contract.
If you meet these requirements, enter the website: www.usa empleosv.org and fill out the form to be part of the visa program database. In the form they will ask you to explain what type of work experience you have, however, it is not essential because if you meet the rest of the requirements, the contracting companies train and teach to do the work.
The rise will continue
According to the deputy spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in El Salvador, the idea is that the labor mobility programme, H-2 visas, continues to increase In the coming years especially for Salvadorans. “To date, the embassy in San Salvador has approved approximately 8,000 visas since 2020,” Luke said.
The labor mobility program, H-2 visas, has the advantage that Salvadorans can safely migrate to the United States to work and return to see their families at the end of their contract; if they are re-solicited, they can return to the United States and repeat the cycle, how many times their visa is renewed.
This article has been translated after appearing in Diario El Mundo