A Voyage of Opportunities
How the U.S.’ H-2 Visa Program is Changing Lives
Balmore Palacios and other beneficiaries of the H-2 visa program do their check-in process at the Salvadoran international airport. / Enrique Alarcon, USAID/El Salvador
Balmore Palacios — a Salvadoran fisherman, father, and husband — earned a living catching fish in his hometown of La Paz. Balmore’s livelihood was often beyond his control. In early 2022, when tides became very high and he couldn’t fish safely in open waters, he was left without a way to support his young family.
The U.S. Government’s H-2 visa program came along at just the right time for Balmore.
Balmore participates in an informative session, one of several organized across El Salvador.
/ Enrique Alarcon, USAID/El Salvador
A hiring companies interview candidates, who went through a vetting process prior to the interview with the company. / Enrique Alarcon, USAID/El Salvador
This program matches U.S. businesses with temporary workers to meet seasonal labor needs in the United States. The U.S. Government promotes the H-2 Visa Program in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of El Salvador so that thousands of Salvadorans can work in the United States temporarily and legally.
Balmore heard through his sister about an information session he could attend to see if he qualified for a visa. Once he and other participants were vetted by the Salvadoran Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with technical assistance from USAID, they interviewed with potential U.S. employers, learning about work opportunities ranging from construction to landscaping, agriculture, hospitality, and more.
Balmore Palacios, a Salvadoran fisherman, father, and husband, applied to the H2 visa program to work legally and temporarily in the United States.
Enrique Alarcon, USAID/El Salvador
“I’m a fighter, one should never give up,” Balmore said. “And I have always believed that opportunities, sooner or later, come around in life.” And for Balmore, they did.
He successfully found temporary employment in the United States!
Balmore holds his visa prior to boarding the plane that will take him to work temporary and legally in the United States.
Enrique Alarcon, USAID/El Salvador
Once he was matched with a seasonal job in the United States, Balmore received assistance from USAID to apply for his visa and prepare to travel to the United States for the length of his employment.
Participants in the H-2 visa program stay in the United States according to the number of months designated by their U.S. employer, typically up to 10 months. The H-2 visa can be extended in one year increments up to a maximum of three years.
The program is such a success that many employers ask their employees to reapply the following year.
For his part, Balmore got a job in Alaska, where he worked in the high season for four months as a seafood processor for an Alaskan fishing company.
“I thought for me to travel to the United States was something impossible… . Now that I’m back in my country, I’m putting my efforts into a seafood business,” said Balmore, who is using the experiences, skills, and income from his time in the United States so his family can thrive at home.
Clockwise from top, left: Just like Balmore, thousands of Salvadorans have benefited from an H-2 visa. Antonieta poses in front of her truss that she has just finished attaching. She says she is happy for the opportunity to work in the United States and then return to her country, El Salvador. H-2 visa construction workers pose in front of the snowy mountain landscape during their break. Miriam works as a team with Antonieta, marking the newly attached trusses. / Enrique Alarcon, USAID/El Salvador
Balmore is one of thousands of Salvadorans who successfully gained temporary employment in the United States through the H-2 visa program. USAID works with our partners in northern Central America to strengthen worker protections and enhance citizens’ ability to seek temporary work opportunities. Collaborating closely with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, USAID has worked with government ministries to transparently and efficiently match qualified workers to temporary labor opportunities in the United States through the H-2 visa program.
About the Author
Jessica Hartl is a Senior Communications Advisor with USAID’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean.