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Appropriations committee adopts bipartisan en bloc amendment to ease seasonal worker visas, expand H‑2A flexibility and add circuses/carnival workers to P visas
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Summary
A broad bipartisan en bloc amendment combining several visas fixes — including expanding H‑2B certainty for certified employers, clarifying H‑2A seasonality and allowing certain traveling entertainment workers to use P visas — was adopted during the Homeland Security markup.
A bipartisan en bloc amendment combining revisions to H‑2B, H‑2A and P‑visa rules won approval in the Appropriations Subcommittee markup, offering seasonal employers and agricultural producers more certainty about temporary foreign labor.
Core elements: The amendment — crafted by Rep. Andy Harris, Rep. Dan Newhouse, Rep. Wiley and others and offered by Rep. Harris — included a provision to exempt H‑2B workers previously used by certified employers from the annual numerical cap (for employers that had consistent usage in the prior five years), clarified H‑2A seasonality so agricultural employers could retain workers across crop cycles of less than one year, and added a pathway to use P visas for traveling circus and carnival workers and other mobile entertainers.
Why it matters: Members across the aisle said the changes are targeted, narrowly drafted fixes that address acute seasonal labor shortages in agriculture, hospitality, and mobile entertainment industries. Members representing rural, agricultural and tourism districts described the economic impacts of shortages on local businesses and festivals and argued the amendments would stabilize the workforce for small employers.
Votes and support: The en bloc amendment was accepted in committee after floor discussion. Sponsors and supporters emphasized that the amendments do not expand immigration overall but rather provide predictable legal channels for employers that meet regulatory requirements and hire American workers first. The subcommittee chair noted that immigration policy changes reside with authorizing committees but said appropriations engagement is an important step toward legislative reform.
Details and caveats: Representatives said the changes do not waive recruitment or prevailing wage requirements; they were described as preserving labor protections while easing uncertainty caused by the H‑2B lottery. Several members said the provisions would encourage circular migration and help farmers maintain harvest continuity.
Ending: The bipartisan win underscores industry pressure to fix seasonal worker rules and is likely to reappear in debate on the House floor and in authorizing committee discussions.
