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Cap Reached for First Allocation of Returning Worker H-2B Visas FY 2026

DeadlinePublished Feb 13, 2026Changes requirements

A USCIS announcement describes the agency's own action. Legal effect, and the detail of how it applies, usually arrives separately in the Federal Register or the USCIS Policy Manual.

What the document says

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 18,490 H-2B visas made available for the first allocation of returning workers of fiscal year 2026 with start dates from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2026, under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule (FY 2026 TFR).

Who the document names

Visa categories

H-2B temporary non-agricultural

Where the document says this
  • H-2B temporary non-agricultural: “Cap Reached for First Allocation of Returning Worker H-2B Visas FY 2026”

Whether it applies to a particular person depends on facts this record does not have.

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From the countries and visa categories the document names.

Final ruleStated effective date Jan 30, 2026

Exercise of Time-Limited Authority To Increase the Fiscal Year 2026 Numerical Limitation for the H-2B Temporary Nonagricultural Worker Program

The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, is exercising time-limited Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 authority to issue up to, but not more than, an additional 64,716 visas for the fiscal year. All of these supplemental visas will be available only to those American businesses that are suffering or will suffer impending irreparable harm, i.e., those facing permanent and severe financial loss, as attested by the employer. These supplemental visas will be distributed in three allocations based on the petitioner's start date of need through the end of the fiscal year.

Federal Register ↗Changes requirements
DeadlinePublished Sep 16, 2025

USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of Fiscal Year 2026

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to meet the congressionally established H-2B cap for the first half of fiscal year 2026. Sept. 12 was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2026.

USCIS newsroom ↗Changes requirements

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About this record

Source
USCIS newsroom, checked Aug 2, 2026
Review
Classified automatically; not reviewed by a person

Built from the linked government document by published rules, not by a language model. Information about a published document, not legal advice about anyone’s case. Methodology · Permalink