February 4, 2022
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H-2B + 20K
Last Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a temporary increase in the number of H-2B nonimmigrant visas available to employers. To help ease worker shortages, select businesses can claim up to 20,000 additional visas for positions starting on or before March 31, 2022. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services site:
These supplemental visas are available only to U.S. businesses that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all the H-2B workers requested in their petition, as attested by the employer on a new attestation form.
Of the 20,000 additional visas, 13,500 are available only for returning workers (workers who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status in one of the last three fiscal years). The remaining 6,500 visas are set aside for nationals of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador (collectively called the Northern Triangle) and Haiti, who are exempt from the returning worker requirement.
You can petition to receive these additional visas through March 31, or until the cap is reached, whichever comes first. Get more information on eligibility and how to apply here.
Your February Compliance Calendar
Congratulations, you’ve made it through the first month of 2022! Still, February has its own share of filing and deposit deadlines, as well as a federal holiday. View the full list of dates in our February compliance calendar to help you stay on track.
OSHA withdraws vaccine ETS
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has withdrawn its vaccine-or-test Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for businesses with 100 or more employees, meaning affected employers no longer need to worry about complying with its requirements.
However, this probably isn’t the last we’ll hear from OSHA on this. The agency is pursuing a permanent COVID standard, which will take longer to enact but will likely have similar requirements—along with similar legal challenges.
As always, we’ll keep you posted on developments that can impact your business. In the meantime, continue to comply with all other federal, state, and local requirements.
CTC 101
Last week, the White House and Treasury announced a revamp of the resource website ChildTaxCredit.gov, with the aim of helping eligible families maximize their savings through the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The revamp includes:
- A short questionnaire that will direct taxpayers to their best free filing options
- Access to both virtual and in-person support, in multiple languages
- Clear, reliable info on CTC eligibility and how to access the credit
Check out the new website here. You can also visit Gusto’s comprehensive guide to the CTC, or email [email protected] with any questions or feedback.
Why you should multimonotask
As a business owner, we know you’re no stranger to multitasking. The appeal is clear—why do one thing when you can get several things done at once? Well, the answer there is clear, too: When you multitask, you don’t execute any of those tasks to the best of your ability.
For this, one of our very own newsletter readers, Thatcher Wine, owner of Juniper Books, proposes a solution in his book, Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better. That solution is monotasking.
Monotasking means giving one task your full attention and completing it—either fully or partially—before moving onto the next thing. Sounds simple, right? But the impact can be powerful. Check out Thatcher’s interview and his guide to monotasking on the Gusto blog.
Watchlist
ICYMI: Gusto Testifies on Behalf of Small Businesses
This Thursday, Gusto’s Head of Compliance and Public Policy, Jeanette Quick, testified in a House subcommittee hearing on “Building Opportunity: Addressing the Financial Barriers to Minority and Women-Owned Businesses’ Involvement in Infrastructure Projects.” She discussed how these businesses can face financial barriers to accessing HR, legal, and other operational resources, and how fintech solutions like Gusto can help. Watch the recording here.
FEB 8: Secrets to Building a Successful Employee Engagement Program (From People Who Have Actually Done It)
Millions of people have left their jobs in the past year, and a whopping 1 in 4 workers say they plan to quit in 2022. So we’re guessing you want to hang onto the all-stars you’ve already invested in on your team—and you can do that by building a GREAT employee engagement program. Join us on Feb. 8 to learn how. Register here.
FEB 15: How an Applicant Tracking System Can Help You Hire Better Now
Does recruiting software really work? In a word, yes! Join Gusto and Breezy HR on Feb. 15 to learn about the three types of Applicant Tracking Systems and how to choose the best one to help scale recruiting and hiring at your company. Register here.
FEB 17: New Rules for Claiming the R&D Tax Credit — What You Need to Know
The IRS recently announced new requirements for taxpayers hoping to claim the R&D tax credit. Why should you care? Because this credit has helped some Gusto customers save up to $380,000 in payroll taxes. On Feb. 17 get the latest on the credit from Joshua Lee, founder and CEO of Ardius, a Gusto company. Register here.
Find the latest relief options in our Small Business Relief Finder.
Want more news and resources? Check out past editions in our archive.
