H-2B Visa Update
Important Information for H-2B Employers
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the cap for the additional 19,000 H-2B visas allocated for returning workers starting April 1st to May 14th, 2024.
What This Means:
Petitions submitted after April 17th, 2024 for these specific dates will not be accepted under this allocation.
Alternative Options:
Employers can still submit petitions for:
The additional 20,000 visas for workers from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica (no returning worker requirement).
Workers exempt from the cap (see USCIS website for details).
Looking Ahead:
Starting April 22nd, 2024, USCIS will begin accepting petitions for the late second half of FY 2024 (May 15th to Sept 30th, 2024). These visas are limited to returning workers with H-2B status in 2021, 2022, or 2023.
Stay Informed:
Refer to USCIS's "Temporary Increase in H-2B Nonimmigrant Visas for FY 2024: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2b-non-agricultural-workers/temporary-increase-in-h-2b-nonimmigrant-visas-for-fy-2024" webpage for further details.