Each fiscal year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services issues 66,000 visas to H-2B petitioners. The number of petitions issued is divided evenly, granting 33,000 visas each half of the fiscal year. Just recently, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency announced that the cap for the second half of the fiscal year was filled very quickly. The agency began accepting H-2B petitions for the second half of the fiscal year on February 21, 2018, and it was already filled by February 28th.
Although the cap has been filled for employment dates beginning in the second half of fiscal year 2018, the USCIS will still accept some petitions. The following categories of H-2B petitions will still be accepted for FY2018:
- Individuals doing work in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and/or Guam until the end of December 2019
- Fish roe technicians, fish roe processors, and supervisors for fish roe processing
- Individuals currently on H-2B petitions in the United States who wish to either:
- Change the terms of their employment
- Change their employers
- Extend their stay and continue to work
H-2B visas are primarily used to employ foreign workers in jobs that are nonagricultural in nature. If you are considering petitioning for an H-2B visa and have questions or need guidance, contact our firm today.
John Sesini is an experienced immigration attorney with offices in Green Bay and Milwaukee Wisconsin. If you have any questions regarding immigration law matters, please contact the Sesini Law Group, S.C. and schedule your initial consultation with our firm today.