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2.0

DOL and DHS announce additional H-2B visas for FY2026

  1. Original Date Announced

    December 31, 2025

    DHS and DOL announced that they will make an additional 35,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, on top of the congressionally mandated 66,000 H-2B visas that are available each fiscal year. The additional visas will focus on supporting businesses with seasonal or temporary workforce needs in critical infrastructure sectors of the U.S. economy, such as seafood, forestry, hospitality and tourism, transportation, and manufacturing.

    Trump 2.0 [ID #2165]

    2025.12.31 DOL/DHS - 35,000 additional H-2B visas
  2. Effective Date

    December 31, 2025
  3. Subsequent Trump and Court Action

    January 30, 2026

    2026.02.03 DHS & DOL - Exercise of Time-Limited Authority To Increase FY 2026 Numerical Limitation for the H–2B Temporary Nonagricultural Worker Program

    DHS and DOL published a joint temporary final rule increasing the numerical limit on H-2B nonimmigrant visas by up to 64,716 additional visas for fiscal year 2026. These visas are in addition to the 66,000 congressionally-mandated H-2B visas that are available each fiscal year. The supplemental visas are available only to employers that are "suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers required on the petition."

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Current Status

None

Original Trump Policy Status

Status: Final/Actual
Trump Administration Actions: Agency Directive Rule
Agencies Affected: DOL DHS

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