There are no more H-2B visas available for the first half of fiscal year 2017. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received enough petitions to reach the maximum number of H-2B visas authorized by Congress for the first half of fiscal year 2017.
The H-2B visas are used to bring foreign nationals to the United States to work temporarily in industries that require more employees for a specific period of time. Hotel, ski resort or amusement park employees, for example, fall into this category.
January 10, 2017 was the final date by which new petitions could be received from temporary nonagricultural (H-2B) workers applying to begin employment prior to April 1, 2017.
New H-2B visa petitions received after January 10, 2017 will be denied, with the following exceptions:
*H-2B workers applying to start employment on or after April 1, 2017.
* H-2B workers who are currently in the United States and are requesting an extension of stay that may change the terms of their employment or change employers.
* Fish egg processing workers, technicians or supervisors.
* Workers on active duty from November 28, 2009 through December 31, 2019 in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and/or Guam.
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