USCIS Announces H-2B Cap Reached for Second Half of FY 2025

USCIS Announces H-2B Cap Reached for Second Half of FY 2025; Supplemental Visa Filing Dates Released

Release Date: March 26, 2025

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has reached the statutory H-2B visa cap for the second half of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. As of March 5, 2025, USCIS received sufficient petitions to meet the congressionally mandated limit of 33,000 H-2B visas for employment starting between April 1, 2025, and September 30, 2025. Consequently, USCIS will reject any new cap-subject H-2B petitions received after this date requesting employment within this timeframe.

Supplemental H-2B Visas for FY 2025

To address the ongoing demand for temporary non-agricultural workers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of Labor (DOL), has authorized an additional 64,716 H-2B visas for FY 2025. This supplemental allocation aims to assist U.S. businesses facing irreparable harm without the ability to employ all the H-2B workers requested. The supplemental visas are distributed as follows:

• 44,716 visas are available to returning workers who were issued an H-2B visa or granted H-2B status in FY 2022, 2023, or 2024.
• 20,000 visas are reserved for nationals from the following countries, regardless of prior H-2B visa history:
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Haiti
  • Honduras

Employers seeking to utilize these supplemental visas must attest that their business is suffering or will suffer irreparable harm without the requested H-2B workers. Detailed guidance on filing dates and procedures for these supplemental visas is available on the USCIS website.

Historical Context and Top Countries of Origin

The H-2B visa program has experienced fluctuations in demand over the years. For instance, in FY 2021, approximately 95,053 H-2B visas were issued, a significant increase from 61,865 in FY 2020. This uptick underscores the program's critical role in addressing labor shortages in various non-agricultural sectors.

In FY 2023, the top five countries whose nationals received H-2B visas were:

1. Mexico: 64.5%
2. Jamaica: 9.0%
3. Guatemala: 7.1%
4. El Salvador: 5.4%
5. Honduras: 5.1%

These five countries collectively accounted for over 90% of all H-2B visas issued that fiscal year.

Conclusion

Employers and representatives are advised to review the filing dates and ensure timely submission of petitions to avoid processing delays or rejections. Further details and guidance can be found directly on the USCIS website.

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