The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is pleased that the House Appropriations Committee adopted critical H-2B relief language in fiscal year ‘23 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill. The language would provide cap relief at a reasonable time during peak season, which would greatly help business related to the Thoroughbred industry.H-2B workers fill many backside positions that are vital to the day-to-day operations of racing stables across the country.

“Everywhere I go I hear how labor is nearly impossible to find,” said NTRA President & CEO Tom Rooney. “It is so important for the Thoroughbred industry to get backside positions through the H-2B visa program. I am encouraged by the committee’s inclusion of the H-2B relief language and NTRA will continue to engage with lawmakers to find a permanent solution.”

On Friday, June 24, 2022, the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment that would extend the current discretionary language that allows for an extension of the cap for FY ‘23 on H-2B visas. If it becomes law, the Secretary of Homeland Security will be required to issue guidance implementing this section no later than 60 days after enactment and will be immediately effective upon its publication. House leaders hope to have a full vote on this spending bill in July and if passed it would then move to the Senate for consideration. In addition, following the relief language adoption, unions expressed a commitment to work with lawmakers as well as industry to try and negotiate a permanent cap solution beginning in July.

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions.

Lexington, KY, May 17, 2022 – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) commends the decision announced by the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL) to make an additional 35,000 H-2B visas available for the second half of FY-2022.

“We thank DHS, DOL, and the Administration for recognizing the critical need for additional H-2B visas to fill positions not being filled by US workers,” said NTRA President & CEO Tom Rooney. “This announcement will help provide immediate relief for tracks and horse trainers going into the summer racing season. While the release of additional H-2B visas is good news for the industry, the NTRA will continue to advocate for more comprehensive immigration reform in the future.”

The supplemental H-2B visa allocation is for U.S. employers seeking to employ additional workers on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022. This announcement makes 23,500 visas available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status during one of the last three fiscal years. The remaining 11,500 visas are reserved for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti, regardless of whether they are returning workers. The semiannual cap of 33,000 visas for the second half of FY 2022 was reached on February 25, 2022.  Employers can begin petitioning on Wednesday, May 18. More information can be found here.

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 20, 2021) ― The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor have agreed to offer 22,000 additional H-2B visas to employers for the second half of the federal fiscal year that ends on September 30, 2021. These visas are used by employers, such as racehorse trainers, who seek seasonal guest workers. They are capped at 66,000 annually, with an even split of 33,000 available for each half of the federal government’s fiscal year. The additional visas will be made available later this spring or early summer via a temporary final rule in the Federal Register.  Six thousand of these visas will be reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

“We are pleased to learn that additional H-2B visas will be available for trainers soon and applaud Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for this action,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “At the same time, the NTRA supports relief from the burdensome annual H-2B visa cap through a permanent returning worker exemption and urges both departments to reform the program accordingly, enabling affected employers to stabilize their businesses.”

This past December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 became law and included a provision that provides the DHS with the discretionary authority to release an additional 64,176 H-2B visas when significant need is demonstrated. The NTRA, through its involvement with the H-2B Workforce Coalition, supports all efforts to make additional visas available to seasonal businesses struggling with labor issues.

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions.

Demand for H-2B visas often exceeds their availability and the cap level is quickly reached, leaving employers in need. For the second half of federal fiscal year 2021, DHS announced that by February 12 it had received enough H-2B worker petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap of 33,000 visas allotted.