On June 5, 2015, USCIS reopened the congressionally mandated fiscal year (FY) 2015 cap and will accept Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, requesting new H-2B workers with an employment start date between April 1 and September 30, 2015.
The H-2B visa program is a work visa intended to help companies who find themselves faced with work shortages due to a surge in the demand for their services or product, or a seasonal need that requires a larger workforce, and which in both circumstances the local workforce is unable or unwilling to meet the labor needs of the company.
Common employers who utilize the H-2B work visa are: Construction companies, landscaping companies, cleaning companies, manufacturing companies, painting companies, pool companies, resorts, hotels, seasonally located business (beaches and mountains), etc
Since there are only 66,000 visas allotted for the whole country for the entire fiscal year, and it takes several months to process the recruiting efforts and applications, employers are smart to plan well ahead of their expected needs.
Not all countries qualify for the H-2B visa.
