Home/Work visas/H-2B/Exercise of Time-Limited Authority To Increase the Fiscal Year 2026 Numerical Limitation for the H-2B Temporary Nonagricultural Worker Program

Exercise of Time-Limited Authority To Increase the Fiscal Year 2026 Numerical Limitation for the H-2B Temporary Nonagricultural Worker Program

CategoriesH-2B
Signals
Positive sentiment
High impact
Fed. Register
Summary

Informational only, not legal advice. Confirm deadlines on the official notice or with a qualified professional.

The Department of Homeland Security is exercising time-limited authority to allocate an additional 64,716 H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026, available exclusively to American businesses facing permanent and severe financial loss or impending irreparable harm. Employers must attest to their hardship to access these supplemental visas. This temporary increase addresses acute labor shortages in nonagricultural industries.
Full official notice
Fed. Register

Authoritative text and filing details are always on the publisher’s site.

Document info
TypeRule
SourceFed. Register
PublishedFebruary 3, 2026

The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, is exercising time-limited Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 authority to issue up to, but not more than, an additional 64,716 visas for the fiscal year. All of these supplemental visas will be available only to those American businesses that are suffering or will suffer impending irreparable harm, i.e., those facing permanent and severe financial loss, as attested by the employer. These supplemental visas will be distributed i

Visa bulletin
May 2026

Final action, filing & DV tables

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Total indexed724
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H-2B

Temporary non-agricultural (H-2B) workers: returning worker provisions and caps.

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