About SEA
H-2B Program
SEA represents employers and stakeholders who are advocates of the temporary, non-immigrant H-2B program. SEA is the largest H-2B advocacy group, representing over half of all H-2B program users.
The H-2A program is the sister program of H-2B. Where as the H-2B program is for all employers with a seasonal, peak load or one-time non-agricultural need, the H-2A program is for agricultural employers with a seasonal, peak load or one-time need. The maximum season is 9 months for both programs. The key differences are that the H-2A program requires employers to provide housing and workers and employers are exempt from payroll taxes and paying overtime. In the H-2B program, workers and employers are required to pay payroll taxes, overtime but are not required to provide housing.
The H-2B program is a program for seasonal, generally low-skilled workers. The workers must retain a tie to their home country by “touching back” each year. They come in, work, then go home. The H-1B program is for high-skilled, largely tech workers. In H-1B, the workers are awarded a three-year visa and the visa is eligible for a three year renewal. In H-2B, employers must hire Americans first. In H-1B, there is not U.S. labor market test. The programs are polar opposites.
SEA staff and consultants regularly visit the Hill to meet with members of Congress and federal agency and administration officials. SEA also hosts a “Fly-In” each year where employers will fly into D.C. to meet with their representatives. The timing is dependent on our political advocacy efforts.
SEA is a non-partisan H-2B advocacy group. SEA has a team of both Republican and Democratic lobbyists. SEA has hosted fundraisers for Democrats and Republicans. This is a bipartisan issue and will take the support of both political parties to obtain a fix.
Yes, employers are automatically members of SEA if its agent/attorney is a SEA member but if not, can join directly for the cost of $15 per DOL certified worker.
Yes, SEA will help schedule meetings with your members of Congress and will provide talking points and if desired, attend the meeting with you. There is nothing more important you can do to help the cause than to establish relationships with your members of Congress.
By becoming an active and engaged SEA member, you will be on the tip of the policy spear which will help inform your filing and recruitment strategies. You can take the information and analysis you receive from SEA and use it to formulate a customized strategy with your agent/attorney. Agent and attorneys have dozens, if not hundreds, of clients and do not have the time to formulate a custom strategy with each client. SEA members will tell you that they are a step ahead of even the fellow clients of their agent/attorney because of the information they receive from SEA. Like anything, you get what you put into it and the same applies to a SEA membership.
SEA hosts two meetings a year and alternates between the East and West coasts. The Strategy Meeting in the fall and the Labor Forum is in the winter, typically late January or early February. You do not have to be a member to attend a meeting but SEA does reserve the right to deny access.
Trump is a H-2B program user and personally supports the program. While there are officials in Trump world who oppose H-2B, we are working to effectively position ourselves to ensure the support of the administration. We added Trump’s long-time H-2B program agent to SEA’s board, hosted a fundraiser for our political advocacy efforts at Mar-a-Lago and hired a consultant who is close with many of our opponents on the far-right. There are obstacles to navigate but our argument that the H-2B program is a solution to the workforce gaps created by the mass deportations is resonating.
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