BARNSTABLE – The federal government is again accepting premium processing requests for H2-B visas, which are critical to many Cape Cod businesses looking to hire their summer workforce.
Earlier this spring, the Department of Labor put a halt to all H2-B visa processing following a court ruling in Florida that put up a roadblock for some employers looking to recruit workers.
According to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting new applications for premium processing on Monday.
That system allows employers to request faster processing for certain employment-based petitions and applications.
In the initial ruling to halt the processing, a federal judge in Florida said the Department of Labor lacked authority to issue the visas. If not reversed, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wendy Northcross said 1,500 to 2,000 jobs could be impacted.
Premium processing of H2B Visas allows an employ to speed up the application and approval time to get workers on the payroll.
