HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Guam-based companies seeking foreign workers for on-island jobs may benefit soon from new federal guidance that will “stimulate construction projects.”
The expected improvement to the process of vetting and approving applications for an often-used work visa was announced Tuesday by the governor’s office.
“Following meetings by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Guam Department of Labor, H-2B guidelines for Guam are currently being revised to clarify federal requirements and include local input,” the governor’s office stated in a press release.
For the past several years, federal agencies including USCIS have required that construction projects seeking H-2B workers be designated by local military officials as “directly connected to, associated with or supporting” the ongoing realignment of Marines from Okinawa to Guam.
While the current process has led to 2,277 H-2B workers currently on Guam — the most since 1997, based on GDOL reports — the requirement has meant some projects, especially those building or renovating single-family homes, sometimes are not able to employ construction workers from abroad.
“Provisions relative to the Guam military buildup recently passed in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act allow more flexibility for USCIS to approve projects deemed adversely affected by the military realignment occurring on Guam. However, contractors have encountered challenges in successfully accessing this criteria,” the governor’s office stated.
The Leon Guerrero administration has been expressing concerns from Guam contractors to the USCIS since July 2021, according to a release, which has resulted in discussions on reviewing the federal policy for potential improvements. USCIS is currently vetting revisions to its policy proposed by the Guam Department of Labor.
“The difficulty of securing workers for local construction projects has presented challenges not only to Guam’s contractors, but also to families building their homes,” said acting Gov. Joshua Tenorio. “As we work together with our federal partners, we are optimistic that we can achieve more H-2B approvals and bolster the ability of contractors to meet the growing needs of our people. We also hope these efforts will lead us to long-term resolutions, such as expanding the scope of imported skilled labor to support Guam’s economic diversification.”
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero is in California, currently meeting with federal officials from Region IX, a division of states and territories that includes Guam. According to Krystal Paco-San Agustin, the governor’s director of communications, Leon Guerrero also will travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the winter session of the National Governors Association and testify before the U.S. Senate.
Construction crewmembers from Hawaiian Rock Products pave a section of the roadway Tuesday on Marine Corps Drive, heading north toward Andersen Air Force Base.
