The USA authorities has opened the applying portal for H-2B visas, permitting U.S. employers to submit requests for short-term non-agricultural international staff for job roles that will begin on October 1, 2025.
In line with a public discover from the Workplace of International Labor Certification (OFLC), the applying window runs for 3 days from 12:00 a.m. ET on July 3 to 11:59 p.m. ET on July 5, 2025.
The H-2B visa program permits U.S. companies to quickly make use of international staff in roles corresponding to hospitality, landscaping, building, and different non-farm companies, particularly throughout seasonal or peak-load intervals when native labor is inadequate.
The H-2B visa has an annual numerical cap of 66,000, break up equally throughout two halves of the fiscal 12 months:
Profitable candidates below this system are permitted to work within the U.S. for as much as three years, after which they have to exit the nation and stay outdoors for no less than three months earlier than reapplying.
To qualify below the H-2B program, U.S. employers should:
Solely purposes submitted throughout the official July 3–5 window shall be thought-about for the October 1, 2025, begin date.
The OFLC has confirmed that every one submissions acquired inside the window shall be subjected to a randomized choice course of, not processed so as of receipt. This methodology was adopted in a regulation issued March 4, 2019, and goals to make sure equity amid rising demand for restricted visa slots.
Employers are additional cautioned to submit just one software per job position to keep away from disqualification or pointless delays.
Whereas purposes now being acquired are for FY 2026, the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) and the Division of Labor (DOL) have introduced the discharge of 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas for Fiscal Yr 2025 to deal with ongoing labor shortages throughout vital sectors.
