The H-2B temporary visa has traditionally been used to fill labor shortages in seasonal industries, such landscaping, hospitality and food service. But the meatpacking industry has started to hire more and more workers through the program, according to U.S. Department of Labor data.
The H-2B’s sister program, the H-2A visa, is reserved for seasonal agriculture work, such as picking fruits and vegetables. Some agricultural industries, such as meatpacking plants and dairy farms, are not eligible for the H-2A visa because the work is year-round.
In 2015, just six meatpacking plants were granted H-2B visas by the federal government. Last year, the number was 44 — a six-fold increase.
Tyson Foods and Smithfield Foods, two of the largest meat processing companies in the U.S., hired workers through the H-2B program last year, according to the latest data available. Seaboard Foods, which owns one of the largest meatpacking plants in the country and is based in Oklahoma, has used the program for several years, the data shows.
