Cap Reached for First Allocation of Returning Worker H-2B Visas FY 2026
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).
Key changes
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) . Feb. 6, 2026, was the final receipt date for petitions requesting supplemental H-2B visas under the first allocation of returning worker H-2B visas for FY 2026.
USCIS received more petitions than available H-2B visas for the FY 2026 first allocation of returning workers. In accordance with regulations, the agency used a computer-generated selection process to fairly allocate the visas without exceeding the first FY 2026 supplemental cap allocation. On Feb. 13, USCIS conducted this random selection process for petitions received on the first five business days of filing (Feb. 2 through Feb. 6, 2026) and began premium processing services afterward.
Additional information on the FY 2026 supplemental visas is available on the Temporary Increase in H-2B Nonimmigrant Visas for FY 2026 page.
