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Citizens of the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia and the Philippines will no longer be eligible to come to the U.S. under certain temporary work visas because those countries are failing to meet program standards, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced.
Citizens from Ethiopia and the Philippines will not be eligible for either of the short-term work visas, and individuals from the Dominican Republic will be eligible only for H-2A visas.
On the other hand, Mozambique and Samoa will be added to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs for agricultural and seasonal low-skilled workers, the DHS said. Paraguay will be added to the list of countries whose citizens are eligible for H-2A visas.
There are 84 approved countries eligible to participate in the H-2A program and 81 countries eligible for the H-2B visa in 2019.
The eligibility designation expires after one year and must be renewed. The notice does not affect workers currently in H-2A or H-2B status unless they apply to change or extend their status.
The DHS considers several factors when deciding which countries to put...