The H-2A visa program had more than 350,000 workers in 2024, nearly tripling over the past decade: H-2A jobs certified and visas issued, 2005–2024, H-2A petitions approved and estimated number of workers, 2015–2024
| Jobs certified | Visas issued | Petitions approved | Estimated # of workers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 48,336 | 31,892 | ||
| 2006 | 59,110 | 37,149 | ||
| 2007 | 76,814 | 50,791 | ||
| 2008 | 82,099 | 64,404 | ||
| 2009 | 86,014 | 60,112 | ||
| 2010 | 79,011 | 55,921 | ||
| 2011 | 77,246 | 55,384 | ||
| 2012 | 85,248 | 65,345 | ||
| 2013 | 98,821 | 74,192 | ||
| 2014 | 116,689 | 89,274 | ||
| 2015 | 139,832 | 108,144 | 154,262 | 123,760 |
| 2016 | 165,741 | 134,368 | 175,171 | 146,723 |
| 2017 | 200,049 | 161,583 | 215,079 | 181,090 |
| 2018 | 242,762 | 196,409 | 279,482 | 216,488 |
| 2019 | 257,667 | 204,801 | 302,422 | 228,589 |
| 2020 | 275,430 | 213,394 | 308,877 | 244,767 |
| 2021 | 317,619 | 257,898 | 339,314 | 284,194 |
| 2022 | 371,619 | 298,336 | 402,929 | 335,959 |
| 2023 | 378,513 | 310,676 | 419,069 | 350,489 |
| 2024 | 384,900 | 315,328 | 419,208 | 352,682 |
Notes: All references to a particular year should be understood to mean the U.S. government’s fiscal year (October 1–September 30). Estimated number of workers is calculated by adding the number of new visas in a given fiscal year with the number of approved petitions for continuing employment with the same employer and with approved petitions for change of employer. It is possible that some H-2A workers may have an approved petition for new employment in the same fiscal year as an approved petition for changing employers, which would lead to those workers being counted twice in the data. Approved amended petitions and petitions for concurrent employment were excluded from the calculation.
Source: EPI analysis of Office of Foreign Labor Certification, OFLC Performance Data, H-2A Disclosure Data, U.S. Department of Labor; Bureau of Consular Affairs, “Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics,” U.S. Department of State; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, H-2A Employer Data Hub, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.