USCIS No Longer Taking Petitions Under H-2B Increase

Agency Will Deny Petitions Not Approved Before October 1

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced it is no longer accepting petitions from U.S. employers seeking to hire temporary nonagricultural workers under the one-time increase to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 H-2B cap announced in July. Petitions submitted but not approved by USCIS before October 1 will be denied, and any associated fees will not be refunded.

USCIS will continue to accept FY 2017 H-2B petitions for workers who are exempt from the congressionally mandated cap.

Background
After USCIS met the FY 2017 cap for H-2B visas, the Secretary of Homeland Security determined there were not enough qualified and willing U.S. workers available to perform temporary nonagricultural labor to satisfy the needs of American businesses in FY 2017. An additional 15,000 visas were made available under a final rule published in July.

Click here to read the USCIS announcement.