United States: Quota for First of Three Supplemental H-2B Visa Allocations Is Reached for FY 2026

USCIS has received enough petitions to reach the 18,490 cap for first allocation of supplemental H-2B visas for returning workers with employment start dates from January 1 to March 31, 2026, according to an agency announcement.  February 6 was the final receipt date for petitions requesting a supplemental H-2B visa number under this allocation.   

Because more petitions were filed than needed to meet the first allocation of visas for returning H-2B workers, USCIS used a computerized lottery to select the winning petitions received between February 2 through February 6, 2026, the first five days of the filing period. 

The additional visas are the result of DHS and DOL exercising their authority to issue up to 64,716 H-2B visas for a fiscal year to supplement the 66,000 H-2B visas available by statute. A second allocation of 27,736 H-2B visas will be available for returning H-2B workers with a start date of between April 1 and April 30, 2026. A third allocation of 18,490 visas will be available for workers, regardless of whether they are returning workers, with employment start dates between May 1 and September 30, 2026. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.