On March 29, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it would allocate an additional 30,000 H-2B visas for the remainder of the U.S. Government’s Fiscal Year 2019, which ends on September 30, 2019. These visas, though, will only be available to applicants who held H-2B status in the 2016, 2017, or 2018 fiscal year. Additional details on eligibility and filing requirements will be forthcoming when the final temporary rule has been posted for public inspection.
This represents a small, but much needed, increase in the traditional 66,000 annual visa cap, as there were more than 200,000 H-2B visa applications filed this year.