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As first announced by our colleagues at EmpleoBilingue.com, Interested workers must hurry, because the application window has already opened! 20,000 visas are reserved for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica for the entirety of FY 2024. Citizens of other eligible countries may also apply under different allocations, see the table below for eligibility.

We reached out to our friends at the US State Department, and a US Embassy Bogotá spokesperson told us the following:

Every year, the United States welcomes thousands of foreign workers through the H-2B visa program to fill temporary, nonagricultural jobs in the United States.  This year, in line with the Biden Administration’s commitment to expand lawful pathways as an alternative to irregular migration, the H-2B visa program includes a special allotment of 20,000 visas for workers from seven countries, including Colombia.  H-2B visas are nonimmigrant visas that allow U.S. employers or agencies to temporarily employ foreign workers in the United States to fill urgent workforce demands.  U.S. businesses in industries such as hospitality, tourism, landscaping, seafood processing, and more rely on seasonal and temporary workers in the H2-B program to help them meet demand.  In order to apply for an H2-B visa, a U.S. employer or agency must petition for the workers they want to bring to the United States.  Only foreign workers whose petitions have been approved by the Department of Homeland Security can apply for an H-2B visa.  Because of this, anyone interested in applying for an H-2B visa must first search for U.S. companies seeking H-2B workers and contact the company to secure a job.  One useful database of seasonal and temporary job openings is https://seasonaljobs.dol.gov/

In addition to the H2-B program, thousands of Colombian university students visit the United States every summer as part of the Summer Work Travel and Camp Counselor programs.  Through these special exchanges, young Colombians work  at U.S. summer camps all over the country or as seasonal or temporary employees for U.S.-based companies.  On May 4, the U.S.  Embassy opened its doors to 1,000 Colombian university students applying for J-1 visas to participate.  For more information on how to apply for the summer work and travel program, please visit: https://j1visa.state.gov/programs/summer-work-travel#participants

Be sure to sign up to receive job alerts for bilingual opportunities at EmpleoBilingue.com

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service, effective Nov. 9, 2023, nationals from the following countries are eligible to participate in the H-2B program:

Above photo: Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio (Photo: Loren Moss)

As a courtesy to readers, this message has been reprinted in its entirety as issued by the US Embassy in Bogotá.

Event: Passport Acceptance Days in Medellin 

Date:  March 16 and 17 2023 

Location: Medellin, Antioquia (Exact address to be sent upon approved appointment request.)

Hours: You MUST schedule an appointment. Please book an appointment for each passport service required(one per person) on the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F45AAAC29A7F94-medellin4.

IMPORTANT: Only a CASHIER’S CHECK (cheque de gerencia) in Colombian pesos will be accepted as payment.  The exact fees to pay according to the service requested will be published near the date of the event. If the requirements are not met, the application will not be accepted. 

Courier Service:  In order to deliver the new passport, it is mandatory to purchase DHL delivery service at their San Fernando Plaza office. For more information regarding DHL services,please send an email to luisa.manrique@dhl.com.

PREPARE FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT:  Please review carefully the information related to the specific requirements and forms on the website https://co.usembassy.gov/passports/.  You will need to bring filled and printed DS-11 forms with barcodes and the supporting documents listed on the website. To fill the form online, please follow this link https://pptform.state.gov/. If you have any questions related to our Medellin visit, you may contact the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia via e-mail at ACSbogota@state.gov.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program!  A free and fast service provided by the US Government that lets US citizens abroad provide useful contact information to the US Embassy in case of an emergency.  Enrolled US citizens who provide a valid e-mail address also receive regular travel updates, messages, and alerts.  To sign up or edit your information please visit the following website: https://step.state.gov/step/.

Colombian president Ivan Duque confirmed the same separately earlier this year. Should the project be implemented, Colombia will be one of less than 10 countries currently offering the travel protocol.

When a US Pre-Clearance facility is in a foreign airport, travelers clear US customs and immigration at the airport of departure. When the airline flight lands in the US, travelers disembark in a domestic gate and have no customs or immigration hassles to deal with. If there are any problems or irregularities, they are dealt with before boarding, before departure. This insures a more streamlined, pleasant travel experience. Travelers arrive in the US and are free to go. No immigration, no customs.

“There will be a preclearance facility in Colombia with representatives from my customs and immigrations service. This is very important, and President Duque and I are very interested in this issue,” says Whitaker. “We already started the process. I wanted this to be done during my stay here, but it couldn’t happen in time. But within a year or year and a half, it will exist.”

According to the agency, the foreign cedula functions as Identification, and as a conduit to enable foreigners to exercise their civil, political, and commercial rights in Colombia. Not renewing one’s cedula, said the agency, means not availing oneself of the financial sector, health, education, work, or the ability to participate in commerce.

US Global Entry coming to Colombia

In a separate announcement, Christian Krüger Sarmiento announced an agreement between Colombia and the United States that will allow visitors that are members of the United States’ Global Entry program to utilize automated kiosks with biometric capabilities to enter Colombia, bypassing the normal immigration lines, as an option.

Global Entry is already available in US allies such as Canada and Mexico, and this agreement is the first step in the process of removing visa requirements for Colombians to travel to the United States, initiated by President Juan Manuel Santos in December, 2013. The process is projected to take up to another decade.