U.S. opens H-2B visa applications to help businesses hire temporary foreign workers

The United States government has officially opened the application window for H-2B visas, allowing U.S. businesses to hire temporary non-agricultural foreign workers for roles starting October 1, 2025. This move aims to support companies in industries facing persistent labor shortages, including hospitality, landscaping, construction, and other seasonal services.

According to a notice from the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), the application period runs from July 3 to July 5, 2025. During this time, employers can submit requests to hire foreign workers under the H-2B program for the first half of the 2026 fiscal year.

The program has an annual cap of 66,000 visas, divided equally between two employment windows:

• 33,000 visas for jobs beginning October 1 to March 31
• 33,000 visas for jobs beginning April 1 to September 30

To participate, U.S. businesses must prove that:

• The job is temporary in nature
• No qualified U.S. workers are available for the role
• Hiring foreign workers won’t negatively impact wages or working conditions

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Employers are required to submit Form ETA-9142B, supporting documentation, and must be registered H-2B users. Only applications submitted within the designated window will be considered and will undergo a randomized selection process, introduced in 2019 to ensure fairness due to high demand.

Each employer may submit only one application per job role to avoid penalties or disqualification.

While the current application window covers jobs for FY 2026, the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL) recently released an additional 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas for FY 2025 to ease workforce gaps in critical business sectors.

This development offers a crucial opportunity for U.S. businesses, especially small and seasonal enterprises, to fill essential roles, maintain productivity, and stabilize operations as they navigate ongoing labor market challenges.