The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor this week made available an additional 35,000 H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers for the second half of fiscal year 2022, which started April 1 and ends Sept. 30. The additional allotment will supplement the previous supply of 33,000 H-2B visas, all of which have been claimed.

The H-2B program permits employers to temporarily hire noncitizens to perform nonagricultural labor or services in the US. The employment must be for a limited period of time, such as a one-time occurrence, or seasonal or intermittent need.

The supplemental H-2B visa allocation comprises 23,500 visas available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status during one of the last three fiscal years. The remaining 11,500 visas are reserved for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti, regardless of whether they are returning workers. The semiannual cap of 33,000 visas for the second half of FY 2022 was reached on Feb. 25, 2022.  

“These additional H-2B visas will help employers meet the demand for seasonal workers at this most critical time, when there is a serious labor shortage,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The visas are accompanied by significant worker protections and provide a safe and lawful pathway for individuals to come to the United States and earn wages in jobs that are not filled by American workers.”