Thousands of unused H-2B visas are now available Email
Friday, June 05, 2015 10:58 AM

On June 5, 2015, USCIS will reopen 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.

According to U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will make between 3,000 and 6,000 unused H-2B non-immigrant visas available. Mikulski had urged DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to conduct an analysis on the number of non-immigrant H-2B visas that have gone unused, and make them available to eligible businesses.

On March 26, the cap for H-2B visas for 2015 was reached. This cap, as well as changes to the H-2B program this year, have left many employers without seasonal workers. In response to these obstacles, some landscape industry groups have filed suit against U.S. Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Read more:
Industry groups sue DOL and DHS (www.lawnandlandscape.com)
USCIS to Reopen H-2B Cap for the Second Half of Fiscal Year 2015 (US Department of Homeland Security)