Release Date: 01/12/2024
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the cap for the additional 20,716 H-2B visas designated for returning workers in the first half of fiscal year 2024, with start dates on or before March 31, 2024. This allocation was made available under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule (FY 2024 TFR). The final receipt date for petitions seeking supplemental H-2B visas under the FY 2024 first-half returning worker allocation was January 9, 2024.
While the cap for returning workers has been met, USCIS continues to accept petitions for H-2B nonimmigrant workers with start dates on or before March 31, 2024. This includes the additional 20,000 visas allotted for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica (country-specific allocation), as well as those exempt from the congressionally mandated cap.
The FY 2024 TFR, effective since its publication on November 17, 2023, allowed USCIS to promptly receive H-2B petitions for the 20,716 returning worker allocation and the 20,000 allocation for nationals of specified countries exempt from the returning worker requirement.
For petitioners whose workers were not accepted under the 20,716 returning worker allocation, USCIS encourages filing under the country-specific allocation while visas are still available. As of January 12, 2024, USCIS has received petitions for 4,500 workers under the 20,000 visas set aside for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.
Comprehensive details on the FY 2024 supplemental visas can be found on the Temporary Increase in H-2B Nonimmigrant Visas for FY 2024 page.
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