Table 1

H-2A and H-2B petitions approved for initial and continuing employment, 2015-2023

  2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
H-2A visa program
              
Initial approval 135,255 156,826 187,676 246,258 262,574 257,259 296,294 345,310
Continuing approval (extensions and change of employer) 19,007 18,345 27,403 33,224 39,848 51,618 43,020 57,619
Total 154,262 175,171 215,079 279,482 302,422 308,877 339,314 402,929
Continuing share of total 12.3% 10.5% 12.7% 11.9% 13.2% 16.7% 12.7% 14.3%
H-2B visa program
              
Initial approval 79,623 98,479 94,112 93,419 113,079 79,379 113,514 154,583 164,031
Continuing approval (extensions and change of employer) 6,177 5,237 7,352 9,773 11,357 15,943 21,629 30,546 36,816
Total 85,800 103,716 101,464 103,192 124,436 95,322 135,143 185,129 200,847
Continuing share of total 7.2% 5.0% 7.2% 9.5% 9.1% 16.7% 16.0% 16.5% 18.3%
Economic Policy Institute

Notes: "Initial approvals" represents approved USCIS petitions for H-2A and H-2B workers who were approved for new employment and a new visa, and “continuing approvals” represents USCIS petitions for H-2A and H-2B workers approved for continuing employment (i.e., extensions of status with the same employer, change of employment conditions with the same employer, or a change of employer), as reported in the USCIS H-2A and H-2B Employer Data Hubs. USCIS data on continuing employment for H-2A and H-2B petitions do not distinguish between the number of workers who changed employers or extended with the same employer or changed employment conditions with the same employer. Fiscal year 2023 data for H-2A were not available at the time of writing.

Source: Author's analysis of data from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, H-2A Employer Data Hub and H-2B Employer Data Hub, fiscal year 2015–2023 data files.

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