U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has reached the cap for an additional 19,000 H-2B visas that were made available for returning workers in the second half of fiscal year (FY) 2024.
Individuals eligible for the additional H-2B visas included returning workers with employment start dates between April 1, 2024, and May 14, 2024. The additional H-2B visas were allotted under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule. Petitions requesting supplemental visas needed to be submitted by April 17, 2024.
USCIS is still accepting petitions for H-2B nonimmigrant workers who are nationals of Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Colombia. There are 20,000 visas available exclusively for nationals of the countries above. Additionally, those nationals must be exempt from the returning worker requirement and the congressionally mandated cap.
On April 22, 2024, USCIS will start accepting petitions for individuals in the late second half of FY 2024 who are requesting employment start dates between May 15, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2024. There are 5,000 visas available under this location, which are limited to returning workers who were either issued H-2B visas or held H-2B status in fiscal years 2021 – 2023, regardless of their country of nationality.
Envoy is pleased to provide you with this information, which was prepared in collaboration with Anne Walsh, Partner, at Corporate Immigration Partners, P.C., a U.S. law firm who provides services through the Envoy Platform (the “U.S. Law Firm”).
Content in this publication is for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. Envoy is not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. If you would like guidance on how this information may impact your particular situation and you are a client of the U.S. Law Firm, consult your attorney. If you are not a client of the U.S. Law Firm working with Envoy, consult another qualified professional. This website does not create an attorney-client relationship with the U.S. Law Firm.
