How does the H-2B visa work?

Question

If you wish to undertake unskilled employment in the US as a foreign citizen temperarily for a period of a few months, is the H-2B visa the best bet? How does it work? Are applicants for the visa expected to have any qualifications higher than that of high school? Can you simply apply for the visa and then search for employment while in the US, or must you have a job offer from an employer willing to temperarily employ you for the period of the visa before you're able to apply? Must it be done through an agency that specialises in seasonal work or can it be done independantly?

How competative is the visa? Do most people who apply get one or is their a strict criteria?

Answer 1

I am strongly against these Visa's since they impact our college graduating engineers and the likes.  The big companies would rather hire a foreigner with one of these Visa's for way less money than one of our own Citizens!!!!

Sorry I did not answer your question, but we have a young adult, and I know of hundreds of others, who are being impacted by these Visa's.

Answer 2

Many different types of employment fall under H2b. It's intended for temporary or seasonal employment, so in some places oyster shuckers fall under H2b, in many cases winter ski lodges hire hotel help under H2b programs. You can't simply apply on your own, you have to be sponsored by an employer who has to file paperwork with immigration before you can be considered for a visa. It's probably easier to work through an agency, although their price can be quite high in some cases. It will be difficult to do independently.

By the way, DLK, H2b visas have nothing to do with engineers or other highly skilled professional positions, those are mostly H1bs.