How to Get an H-2B Work Placement from Jamaica (Without Getting Scammed)
Every season, thousands of Jamaicans look for seasonal work in the United States, and scammers are waiting for them too. Here is what the H-2B visa is, how to start the right way, and how to protect your money.
At a glance
- What it isU.S. visa for seasonal, non-farm work
- Who it is forWorkers, not only students
- Before you payCheck the agency is licensed
- Biggest red flagA “guaranteed” visa
- Yearly limit66,000 visas, and demand beats it
- On your visa formYou must name your recruiter
- Ministry programmeNo fee at any stage
- Best time to prepareOctober to December
Tap any fact to jump to the details.
The documents you need
Being ready fast helps you stand out. Ask each agency for its exact list, but expect to need most of these. Tick them off as you go.
Keep clear photos or scans on your phone, but do not send passport copies to anyone until you have confirmed they are licensed.
Everything’s gathered. Next, check the agency is licensed before you send anything.
Your ticks are saved on this device only.
Don’t order your police record too early
A Jamaican police record is issued for one named recipient and cannot be reused for another. Find out exactly who the agency or Embassy wants it addressed to before you pay for one.
The 6 steps
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Get your documents ready
Passport, TRN, NIS number, birth certificate, photos, résumé and references. See the checklist
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Check the agency is licensed
Confirm it with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security before you pay or send documents. How to check
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Call two or three agencies
Use the call script and ask the same questions each time, then compare. What to ask
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Apply and interview with the agency
Agencies screen candidates and put them forward to U.S. employers. Treat it like a job interview.
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The employer applies for approval
The U.S. employer files a petition to hire you. This takes months, and approval is not guaranteed.
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Visa interview and travel
Once the petition is approved, you attend a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston.
Timing matters. Employers typically file in early January for jobs starting in April, so October to December is the time to get your documents and agency calls done.
Scam red flags
The U.S. Embassy in Kingston has warned that unregistered recruiters have a history of charging illegal fees and placing Jamaican workers at different worksites from the ones on their applications. Walk away if you see any of these.
- A “guaranteed” visa or a paid “fast-track”
- Cash payments with no receipt
- Payments by WhatsApp or mobile money
- No written contract or job offer
- No licence number, or the Ministry cannot confirm it
- Pressure to pay today
- Jobs offered only on TikTok, Instagram or Facebook, with no named employer
- Asking for your passport before anything has been checked
Be honest on every form
Lying or taking part in fraud can make you permanently ineligible for a U.S. visa. Your visa application also asks who recruited you, so the Embassy will see who you used.
Reference deskHow H-2B works, and the yearly limit
How H-2B works, and the yearly limit
H-2B is a U.S. visa for temporary, seasonal, non-farm work. Unlike the J-1 work and travel programme, you do not have to be a student. Typical jobs are in hotels and resorts, housekeeping, kitchens, landscaping, amusement parks, and seafood and meat processing.
- The employer applies first. A U.S. employer must get approval to hire foreign workers because it cannot find enough U.S. workers.
- What the employer must cover. The employer must offer work for at least three-fourths of the contract period, and must pay or reimburse the worker’s visa fee and certain travel costs.
- Then you interview. After the employer’s petition is approved, you attend a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston.
The yearly limit (the “cap”)
The U.S. issues only 66,000 H-2B visas a year, split between two halves of the year, and demand usually beats the limit. In 2026 the limit for jobs starting from April was reached on March 10. Extra visas were then released, with some reserved for workers who had been before.
What this means for you: get organised before the season opens. And because of the limit, no agency can guarantee you a visa, whatever they say.
The season at a glance
- October to DecemberGet documents ready, check agencies, start calling
- JanuaryEmployers typically file for April start dates
- February to MarchInterview preparation; the limit is often reached
- April onwardsLate openings and any extra visas
Dates shift each year. Confirm the current position on the USCIS website.
Reference deskCheck that the agency is licensed
Check that the agency is licensed
Recruiting workers for overseas jobs without an active registration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security is against Jamaican law. The Ministry’s Employment Agencies Unit publishes a list of approved overseas job placement agencies. In September 2026 it named about 80 agencies across the island, and it shows which programmes each one is approved for. Check that yours is approved for H-2B, not only for another programme such as J-1. The list changes monthly, so always check the latest one.
Employment Agencies Unit
- Phone876-676-5806 or 876-676-5748
- WhatsApp876-553-5457
- Emailemploymentagencyunitja@mlss.gov.jm
- Address1F North Street, Kingston
Ask: “Is this agency currently licensed for H-2B?” Write down the date and who you spoke to. You are not limited to an agency in your parish.
The Embassy checks your recruiter too
Since January 1, 2025, H-2B applicants must name their recruiting agency on the visa application. The U.S. Embassy checks it against the Ministry’s register or the U.S. Department of Labor’s recruiter list. If your recruiter is not registered, the application is rejected and you must apply again through a registered one.
About fees
Under U.S. rules, H-2B employers and their recruiters may not charge workers a recruitment or placement fee. If an agency asks you for any payment, ask the Employment Agencies Unit whether that fee is allowed before you pay, and always get a receipt.
Official list Ministry’s approved overseas agencies Check the current month’s list before you pay or send documents.
Reference deskWhat to say, and 8 questions to ask every agency
What to say, and 8 questions to ask every agency
Calling an agency for the first time feels awkward. Start with this:
“Good morning. My name is ______. I am calling about H-2B work in the U.S. for the coming season. Are you taking applications, and how do I get an appointment or interview?”
- Is your Ministry licence current, and what is the licence number?
- Which U.S. employers and industries do you work with?
- What jobs, pay rates, locations and start dates are available?
- What are your requirements (age, experience, documents)?
- What fees, if any, do I pay, and when? Will I get a receipt?
- Will I get a written contract or job offer before I pay or travel?
- How long does the process take, and how will you keep me updated?
- How many Jamaicans did you place last season?
Keep a call log. Write down the date, the agency, who you spoke to, what they said and when to follow up. If you hear nothing for a week, follow up politely. Anyone can say yes to everything, so trust the written paperwork, not the promises.
Reference deskThe Ministry’s own programme
The Ministry’s own programme
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security also runs its own Overseas Employment Programme. The Minister has said plainly that there is no fee at any stage of the Ministry’s recruitment or placement. If someone using the Ministry’s name asks you for any payment other than the visa fee at the end of the process, they are not authorised.
- Ask your Member of Parliament’s constituency office how selection for the Ministry’s programme works in your area.
- Or contact the Ministry directly through mlss.gov.jm.
- The Ministry does not recruit through TikTok or Instagram. Pages that use the Minister’s photo to offer jobs are scams.
It costs nothing to ask, and it gives you one more chance alongside the agencies.
Reference deskHow to improve your chances
How to improve your chances
No one can promise placement, but these habits help.
- Apply early, and to more than one licensed agency.
- Have your documents ready before your first appointment.
- Be easy to reach. Answer calls and reply the same day.
- Highlight relevant experience: hotel, kitchen, cleaning, landscaping or other physical work.
- Know your job details before the visa interview: the employer, location, pay and start date.
- At the Embassy, be ready to explain the job, how long you will stay, and the ties that bring you back to Jamaica when the season ends.
- If you are placed, work only for your employer and return on time. A clean record helps you be welcomed back.
Last checked against the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, USCIS, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Jamaica Information Service. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Licences, fees and dates change, so confirm with the Ministry, the agency and the Embassy.
Get the H-2B Application Toolkit
A printable starter kit. Download the PDF and keep it with your documents.
- Document checklist with tick boxes
- Call script and the 8 questions to ask every agency
- Printable call log
- One-page scam red-flag card
Need your documents ready in time?
Paperwork is often the slowest part. This is the part we help with:
- Passport: we make the digital application to renew where PICA allows. For other passports, a consultation helps you apply yourself.
- Police record: we complete your application, pay the fee and book your fingerprinting appointment.
- TRN and NIS: free at the agency, and you apply in person. Our TRN guide and NIS guide show you how.
- Birth certificate: we collect certified copies from the RGD for you.
We do not recruit, place workers or give immigration advice.