On Nov. 16, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor announced a joint temporary final rule to increase the number of H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year 2024.
The rule makes available an additional 64,716 visas above the 66,000 visas authorized annually by law. These supplemental H-2B visas are for U.S. employers seeking to petition for additional workers at certain periods of the fiscal year before Sept. 16, 2024.
This supplemental visa allocation consists of roughly 44,700 visas available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status during one of the past three fiscal years. The remaining 20,000 visas are reserved for nationals of Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras, regardless of whether they are returning workers.
NRCA had urged the federal agencies to issue these additional visas and is pleased with the administration’s action to release them earlier than in previous years, which will help employers meet their peak workforce needs in fiscal year 2024.
View the press release announcing the action.
View the temporary final rule published in the Nov. 17 Federal Register.
