US visas for emaSwati
MBABANE – The United States of America (USA) Government has added the Kingdom of Eswatini to the list of countries eligible to participate in the American visa programme next year.
This was revealed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooporation Thuli Dladla in a press statement. Dladla stated that this followed fruitful engagements between the ministry and the Embassy of the United States of America in Mbabane, wherein the former sought the assistance of the United States Government in availing a wide range of employment opportunities to the people of Eswatini in various sectors.
She said the visa programme had been dubbed H-2A and H-2B. These were the types of visa programmes that allowed US employers to bring foreign nationals to the US to fill temporary jobs. Dladla encouraged emaSwati to visit the links (https:// www.farm4usa.com and http:// www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/recruiter-list) to familiarise themselves with the types of jobs they could apply for and the procedure and requirements for doing so.
On behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Dladla thanked the Government of the United States of America, through their embassy in Ezulwini, for the fruitful outcome to the discussions.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State (DOS), in USA made announcement to add Eswatini to the countries eligible to participate in this programme on November 11, 2022.
Amend
When making the announcement, the DHS maintained its authority to amend the eligible countries lists at any time through publication of a federal register notice, should DHS and DOS determine that a country fails to meet the requirements for continued designation.
It was stated that examples of factors that could result in the exclusion of a country or the removal of a country from the list included fraud, abuse, non-immigrant visa overstay rates and other forms of noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the H-2 visa programmes by nationals of that country that were contrary to US interest.
Typically, USCIS approved H-2A and H-2B petitions only for nationals of countries that the oecretary of homeland security had designated as eligible to participate in the programmes.
However, USCIS may approve H-2A and H-2B petitions, including those that were pending as of the date of publication of the federal register notice, for nationals of countries not on the lists on a case-by-case basis only if doing so is determined to be in the interest of the United States.
In a previous interview, Dladla stated that she hoped that other countries would follow suit so to allow emaSwati who wished to work in those countries to do so seamlessly.
The minister said the Government of Eswatini did not take pleasure in seeing emaSwati stranded in other countries due to lack on relevant permits. She was reacting to the over 200 emaSwati who were arrested in Newcastle, South Africa after they were found to not to have relevant paperwork allowing them to work in that country.