US to include Dominican citizens in work visa program

By The Star Staff

Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón announced Tuesday that after working diligently with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as the U.S. Department of State and other federal entities, DHS reported that the Dominican Republic was added to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2B temporary work visa program, which will help meet the demand for workers in Puerto Rico.

“Visa application benefits both our Dominican brothers by providing them with job opportunities, as well as our island, so that we can have the necessary manpower and speed up reconstruction work,” the resident commissioner said in a written statement. “We have worked hand in hand with the federal side, we have sent letters since July to the departments of Homeland Security, Labor and State, and now starting in January 2022 visas can be requested through DHS.”

The H-2B visa program authorizes employers from the United States to bring in temporary non-agricultural workers to join the workforce. Among the reasons for qualifying for the visa program are, for example, the fact that there are not enough trained, willing, available and qualified workers to perform temporary work, as in the case of Puerto Rico.