By: Anil Malik

On May 25, 2018, USCIS allowed various U.S. employers 15,000 additional H-2B workers who will do unskilled, non-agricultural seasonal work. USCIS increased the numerical limit on H-2B nonimmigrant visas by 15,000 additional visas through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2018. These 15,000 workers are in addition to the 66,000 workers in the program.

From May 31, 2018, USCIS began receiving H-2B petitions. Within the first five business days of filing, USCIS received petitions for more beneficiaries than the number of H-2B visas available under the FY 2018 supplemental cap. USCIS ran a lottery on June 7, 2018, and on June 11, 2018, began issuing notifications to the petitioners that were selected.