H-2B visas are sold out for the first half of fiscal year 2018.

There are no more H-2B visas available for the first half of fiscal year 2018. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced yesterday that it received enough petitions to reach the maximum number of H-2B visas authorized by Congress for the first half of fiscal year 2018.

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.

December 15, 2017 was the final date by which new petitions could be received from temporary nonagricultural (H-2B) workers applying to begin employment before April 1, 2018.

New H-2B visa petitions received after December 15, 2018 will be denied, with the following exceptions:

*H-2B workers applying to start employment on or after April 1, 2018.

* 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.

 

en_USEnglish