$24,000 is not a salary any US employer advertises; it is roughly what a seasonal worker on an H-2A or H-2B visa takes home in a partial year at $15 to $18 an hour. That is the honest starting point for $24,000 visa sponsorship jobs in the USA: the figure describes a real category of work (farm labor, landscaping, hotel housekeeping, seafood processing, amusement parks) and a real set of visas that employers use to fill it, but it is the product of hours worked over a season, not a guaranteed annual income.
The trade-off is that these are the only US work visas with no degree requirement, no experience requirement beyond physical capability, and a legal obligation on the employer to pay your visa costs and transport. For agriculture, the employer must also provide free housing. This guide explains how the two H-2 visas and the J-1 Summer Work Travel program work, what $24,000 actually means in hours and weeks, what employers must pay for, and how to avoid the recruiters who prey on this market.
Where does the $24,000 figure come from?
Low-wage sponsored work in the US is priced by the hour, and the government sets the floor. Multiply a realistic rate by a realistic season and you land close to $24,000.
| Scenario | Hourly rate | Hours per week | Weeks | Gross pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-2A farm worker, mid-range state | $16.50 (AEWR) | 45 | 32 | About $23,800 |
| H-2B landscaping crew, 9-month season | $17.00 | 40 | 36 | About $24,500 |
| H-2B hotel housekeeper, resort season | $15.50 | 40 | 30 | About $18,600 |
| H-2B seafood processing with overtime | $15.00 + overtime | 55 | 24 | About $22,000–$25,000 |
| J-1 Summer Work Travel | $13.00–$16.00 | 35–40 | 12–16 | About $6,000–$10,000 |
These are illustrations, not quotes. The hourly rates reflect typical 2026 ranges; the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for H-2A is set by state each year by the Department of Labor, and H-2B employers must pay the prevailing wage for the job and county. Both are published on the DOL’s Foreign Labor Certification pages.
H-2A: agricultural work with housing provided
The H-2A visa covers temporary or seasonal agricultural work: planting, harvesting, packing in the field, dairy and livestock in some cases, nursery and greenhouse work. It has no annual cap, which makes it the single largest low-wage sponsorship route; hundreds of thousands of positions are certified each year, with Florida, Georgia, California, Washington and North Carolina among the largest users.
The employer’s obligations are the most generous of any US work visa:
- Free housing that meets federal or state standards, inspected before certification.
- Transportation: reimbursement of your inbound travel once you complete half the contract, and return travel at the end. Daily transport between housing and the fields is also provided.
- Wages at the AEWR or the prevailing rate, whichever is higher, with the same rate paid to US workers in the same job.
- Three-quarters guarantee: the employer must offer work for at least three-quarters of the hours in the contract period, or pay the difference.
- Visa and consular fees paid or reimbursed by the employer, plus workers’ compensation insurance.
- Meals or kitchen facilities; where meals are provided, a capped daily charge may be deducted.
Because housing and transport are covered, a frugal H-2A worker can save a larger share of gross pay than almost any other low-wage migrant worker in the US. The work is physically hard and contracts run from a few weeks to ten months.
H-2B: non-agricultural seasonal work, capped
The H-2B visa covers seasonal or peak-load jobs outside agriculture: landscaping and groundskeeping (the largest category), hotel and resort staff, seafood and meat processing, amusement parks, construction laborers, forestry and ski resorts. The cap is 66,000 visas a year, split into two half-year allocations, and Congress and DHS have added supplemental visas in most recent years. Demand regularly exceeds supply, so timing matters: employers file for the summer season in winter and for the winter season in summer.
Employer obligations are similar to H-2A on visa fees and transport, but housing is not mandatory; many employers arrange it and charge a reasonable, disclosed amount. The wage must be at least the DOL prevailing wage, and the three-quarters guarantee applies. Official job orders are posted on seasonaljobs.dol.gov. For a full walkthrough of the H-2B timeline, see our guide to H-2B visa sponsorship jobs in the USA, and for resort-specific roles, our guide to hotel jobs in the USA with visa sponsorship.
J-1 Summer Work Travel: for students, and you pay the program fees
The J-1 Summer Work Travel category lets full-time university students work in the US for up to four months during their home-country summer break, typically in resorts, amusement parks, restaurants and retail. It is a cultural exchange program, not an employment visa, which changes the economics: you pay a designated sponsor organisation a program fee (often $1,000–$3,000), buy compliant health insurance and cover your own flight, and the job pays close to state minimum wage. Participants rarely clear more than a few thousand dollars after costs. It is worth doing for the experience and the US work history on your CV; it is not a $24,000 job, and it is only open to students in participating countries.
What employers must pay for, and what you pay
The clearest sign of a legitimate H-2 employer is that they pay what the law requires without being asked.
| Cost | H-2A | H-2B | J-1 SWT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment or job-placement fee | Prohibited | Prohibited | Program fee paid by participant |
| Visa application and consular fees | Employer pays or reimburses | Employer pays or reimburses | Participant pays |
| Inbound travel | Reimbursed at 50% of contract | Reimbursed at 50% of contract | Participant pays |
| Return travel | Employer pays | Employer pays | Participant pays |
| Housing | Free, employer-provided | Not required; often arranged at cost | Participant arranges |
| Health coverage | Workers’ compensation for injuries at work | Workers’ compensation | Participant must buy J-1 compliant insurance |
| Tools and equipment | Employer provides | Employer provides | Employer provides |
Workers’ compensation covers injuries on the job only, so budget for short-term medical coverage or confirm what the employer offers. Passport fees and your own documents remain your responsibility.
How to get an H-2 job: step by step
- Check that your country is on the eligible list. DHS publishes an annual list of countries whose nationals may receive H-2A and H-2B visas. Most of Latin America, much of Europe and Asia and several African countries are included; some are not. Nationals of non-listed countries can only be approved case by case.
- Search official job orders on seasonaljobs.dol.gov, which lists every certified H-2A and H-2B position with the wage, hours, location and employer contact.
- Apply directly to the employer or its named agent. Many large growers and landscaping firms use established recruiters in Mexico, Jamaica, South Africa and elsewhere. The recruiter must be named in the employer’s filing, and cannot charge you.
- Receive the job offer and contract in a language you understand, stating the wage, hours, housing and transport terms.
- Attend the consular interview with your passport, the petition approval notice and the contract. Visa fees are paid or reimbursed by the employer.
- Travel on the employer’s arranged transport and keep receipts for any travel you paid yourself; reimbursement is due at the halfway point.
The whole process typically takes two to four months from application to arrival, and returning workers are strongly preferred.
False offers in the $24,000 market
Low-wage sponsorship attracts more misleading offers than any other part of US immigration, because the applicants are numerous and the rules are not widely understood. Red flags:
- Any fee for the job, the “visa file”, the “slot” or “processing”. Charging H-2 workers is illegal, and a legitimate employer cannot use a recruiter who charges.
- Job offers for positions not listed on seasonaljobs.dol.gov, or from employers who cannot provide a DOL case number.
- Promises of year-round work, a green card after the season, or bringing your family. H-2 visas are temporary, and dependants may accompany you only on H-4 status without work rights.
- Requests to send your passport or pay for a flight to a recruiter rather than booking through the employer.
- Contracts without a stated hourly wage or with deductions for “visa costs”.
If you are promised permanent work, understand that the actual permanent route for low-wage jobs is the EB-3 “other workers” green card, which takes years and is explained in our EB-3 visa sponsorship guide. For an overview of who may work in the US and your rights once there, see our guide to immigrant jobs in the USA.
Making $24,000 go further
Seasonal workers who return home with savings share a few habits. They take the H-2A housing or the cheapest employer-arranged H-2B housing rather than renting privately. They open a US bank account on arrival (most banks accept a passport and the I-94 record) so wages are not paid by check with cashing fees. They compare money-transfer providers rather than using the first one near the farm; a 1 percent federal tax on certain cash-funded remittances began in 2026, and bank-funded transfers are generally exempt, so sending from an account can be cheaper. And they file a US tax return: H-2A wages are exempt from Social Security and Medicare withholding, and many seasonal workers are owed a refund of federal income tax withheld.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $24,000 a year realistic on an H-2A visa?
For a seven- to nine-month contract at the 2026 AEWR in most states, with the full hours offered, yes, gross pay lands in the low-to-mid twenties. Shorter contracts or states with lower AEWRs produce less. Because housing is free, net savings can be higher than on a $24,000 job elsewhere.
Can I change employers on an H-2 visa?
Only to another employer with an approved H-2 petition that names you, and in H-2A there is a portability provision that allows you to start with a new certified employer while the transfer is processed. You cannot take any other job, and working outside the petition is a visa violation.
Which countries are eligible for H-2A and H-2B?
DHS publishes the list each year in the Federal Register. It includes most of the Americas, much of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa, and it changes; nationals of countries removed from the list can only be approved in the national interest, which is rare.
Does H-2 time count toward a green card?
No. H-2 visas are non-immigrant and have no path to permanent residence by themselves. The maximum continuous stay is three years, after which you must spend at least 60 days outside the US before returning on a new H-2 petition.
Is the J-1 Summer Work Travel program a cheaper way in?
It is easier to obtain for eligible students, but it costs you money rather than the employer, lasts at most four months and pays close to minimum wage. Treat it as a paid cultural exchange, not a route to $24,000.
Bottom line
$24,000 visa sponsorship jobs in the USA are real, but the number is a season’s wages at a government-set hourly rate, not a salary. H-2A offers free housing, paid travel and no annual cap; H-2B offers a wider range of jobs but a fierce competition for capped visas; J-1 Summer Work Travel is for students and costs you rather than paying you. Use seasonaljobs.dol.gov, never pay a recruiter, make sure the employer covers what the law requires, and go in knowing that the visa ends with the season.