The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the cap for the first allocation of returning worker H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026, officials confirmed. The 18,490 visas made available under the supplemental cap for workers with start dates from January 1 to March 31, 2026, were fully petitioned for by the February 6 deadline.
USCIS reported that the number of petitions received exceeded the available visas. To ensure fairness, the agency used a computer-generated random selection process for petitions filed during the first five business days of the filing period, February 2 through February 6. Premium processing services for selected petitions began immediately after the random selection was conducted on February 13.
The H-2B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals for temporary non-agricultural work when qualified U.S. workers are unavailable. The supplemental allocation this year was part of the FY 2026 temporary final rule designed to help employers meet labor needs during peak seasons.
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