Title: Relief for Seasonal Businesses Act of 2021
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Relief for Seasonal Businesses Act of 2021
This bill raises the annual numerical limit on H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) nonimmigrant visas and provides an exemption to this cap for certain applicants.
Specifically, the bill raises the annual cap on such visas from 66,000 to 350,000. Furthermore, if a worker seeking an H-2B visa had been counted toward the annual cap in one of the three preceding fiscal years, that worker shall not be counted against the cap again.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4578 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4578

        To expand the H-2B visa program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 20, 2021

  Mr. Rice of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
        To expand the H-2B visa program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Relief for Seasonal Businesses Act 
of 2021''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF H-2B PROGRAM.

    Section 214(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
(g)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B) by striking ``66,000'' and 
        inserting ``350,000'';
            (2) in paragraph (9), to read as follows:
            ``(9) Returning workers.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraphs (B) and 
                (C), an alien shall not again be counted toward such 
                limitation during fiscal year if that alien had already 
                been counted toward the numerical limitation of 
                paragraph (1)(B) during any of the 3 fiscal years 
                immediately preceding that fiscal year. Such an alien 
                shall be considered a returning worker.
                    ``(B) Petitions.--A petition to admit or otherwise 
                provide status under section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b) shall 
                include, with respect to a returning worker--
                            ``(i) all information and evidence that the 
                        Secretary of Homeland Security determines is 
                        required to support a petition for status under 
                        section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b);
                            ``(ii) the full name of the alien; and
                            ``(iii) a certification to the Department 
                        of Homeland Security that the alien is a 
                        returning worker.
                    ``(C) Approval.--An H-2B visa or grant of 
                nonimmigrant status for a returning worker shall be 
                approved only if the alien is confirmed to be a 
                returning worker by--
                            ``(i) the Department of State; or
                            ``(ii) if the alien is visa exempt or 
                        seeking to change to status under section 101 
                        (a)(15)(H)(ii)(b), the Department of Homeland 
                        Security.''; and
            (3) in paragraph (10), by striking ``33,000'' and inserting 
        ``175,000''.
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