{"id":"FED-319","kind":"order","level":"federal","jurisdiction":"United States (Department of State consular posts worldwide; H-2 processing chiefly at Mission Mexico)","state":"","metro":"","industry":"","agency":"","eco":"","issuer":"U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs","authority":"INA §§ 221, 222; 22 C.F.R. § 41.102 (interview waiver authority)","instrument":"Important Announcement on H2 Visas (Mar. 26, 2020): expanded interview-waiver processing for H-2A and H-2B applicants during the suspension of routine visa services","title":"Important Announcement on H2 Visas","dateIssued":"2020-03-26","effective":"2020-03-26 during the suspension of routine visa services","end":"2020-07-15 (phased resumption) and later expansions of interview waivers (post-period)","startDate":"2020-03-26","endDate":"2020-07-15","quarters":["2020Q2","2020Q3"],"types":["TRAV","OTHER"],"addressees":["H-2A and H-2B visa applicants and their U.S. employers","consular posts"],"clause":"","enforcement":"consular processing rules","functions":["LB H-2A farm labor arrivals limited to interview-waiver-eligible returning workers","WF H-2B seasonal labor (landscaping, hospitality, seafood processing)","FP planting and harvest schedules"],"notes":"With the Mar. 20, 2020 suspension (Ex. FED-327), consular processing of seasonal workers was confined to emergency appointments and interview waivers for the whole of 2020 Q2.","sourceUrl":"https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/important-announcement-on-h2-visas.html","snapshot":"","fileExists":false,"fileBytes":0,"grade":"secondary","character":"","description":"","collection":"FED-B","url":"/library/FED-319","exhibitUrl":null,"citation":"U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Important Announcement on H2 Visas (Mar. 26, 2020): expanded interview-waiver processing for H-2A and H-2B applicants during the suspension of routine visa services (Ex. FED-319)","stateName":"","related":["FED-327"]}