Mar 7, 2022

USCIS launches data hub for H-2A employers

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched an H-2A Employer Data Hub to provide information to the public on employers or agents petitioning for H-2A workers. The data hub is part of USCIS’ continued effort to increase transparency in employment-based visa programs and follows the launch of the H-1B Data Hub in 2019 and the H-2B Data Hub in 2021.

The data hub allows the public to search for H-2A petitioners by fiscal year from 2015 through 2021, employer (petitioner) name, city, state, ZIP code, worksite state, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. This information will help the public calculate approval and denial rates and review which employers are using the H-2A program. Data for individual fiscal years is available to download on the H-2A Employer Data Hub Files page.

To help the public understand the terminology and learn how to use the data hub, USCIS has also created the Understanding Our H-2A Employer Data Hub page.

USCIS anticipates updating the H-2A Employer Data Hub quarterly and providing downloadable data files. For example, data will be provided for the first quarter (October-December) of a fiscal year in April of that fiscal year.

See more on labor in the agriculture industry››

The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs. The employment must be of a temporary or seasonal nature, and the petitioner must show that there are not enough U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available to do the temporary or seasonal work.