Cap Reached for Second Allocation of Returning Worker H-2B Visas for Fiscal Year 2026
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 27,736 H-2B visas made available for the second allocation of returning workers for fiscal year 2026 with start dates from April 1 to April 30, 2026, under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule (fiscal year 2026 TFR).
Key changes
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 27,736 H-2B visas made available for the second allocation of returning workers for fiscal year 2026 with start dates from April 1 to April 30, 2026, under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule (fiscal year 2026 TFR) . April 21, 2026 was the final receipt date for petitions requesting supplemental H-2B visas under the second allocation of returning worker H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026. These additional H-2B visas will support American businesses with seasonal or temporary workforce needs, including those in critical sectors of the U.S. economy.
On Jan. 30, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor jointly announced the fiscal year 2026 TFR increasing the cap on H-2B nonimmigrant visas by up to 64,716 additional visas. These supplemental visas are available only to U.S. businesses that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested in their petition, as attested by the employer on a new attestation form.
Additional information on the fiscal year 2026 supplemental visas is available on the Temporary Increase in H-2B Nonimmigrant Visas for FY 2026 page.
DHS is committed to ensuring American workers are protected. Anyone (including U.S. workers and H-2B workers) can send us tips, information on alleged violations, and other relevant information about potential fraud or abuse using our online tip form .
