H-2B Cap as of March 13, 2017–1st and 2nd Halves Both Reached

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its count of H-2B filing for temporary non-agricultural visas (H-2Bs) for employment for the first and second halves of FY 2017.

On Jan. 10, 2017, the cap for the 1st half of FY 2017 was reached.  On March 13, the cap for the 2nd half of FY 2017 was reached.  SOURCE

There is a statutory numerical limit, or “cap,” on the total number of foreign nationals who may be issued an H-2B visa or otherwise granted H-2B status during a fiscal year (FY). Currently, Congress has set the H-2B cap at 66,000 per fiscal year, with 33,000 for workers who begin employment in the first half of the fiscal year (October 1 – March 31) and 33,000 for workers who begin employment in the second half of the fiscal year (April 1 – September 30). Any unused numbers from the first half of the fiscal year will be available for employers seeking to hire H-2B workers during the second half of the fiscal year. However, unused H-2B numbers from one fiscal year do not carry over into the next.