US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has received a sufficient number of petitions to meet the congressionally mandated H-2B visa cap for the second half of fiscal year 2026. The H-2B program allows employers to temporarily hire non-immigrant workers for non-agricultural seasonal labor.

The final receipt date for new cap-subject petitions requesting employment start dates between April 1 and September 30, 2026, was March 10, 2026. Petitions submitted after this date for the same employment period will be rejected. USCIS has also indicated that filing dates for the second and third allocations of supplementary visas for FY 2026 are now available.

In an analysis shared on LinkedIn, Nataly Mualem, an H-2B, business, and investor visa attorney, noted that while the cap was reached slightly later than last year—March 10 compared to March 5—the broader context reveals growing operational challenges.

“Processing last year moved much faster and there was a lower volume of petitions,” Mualem writes. “This year, delays are building at every stage. Between slower certifications, delayed receipts and processing bottlenecks, employers are losing valuable time during their peak season.”

Mualem further observes that even with supplemental visas, most employers should expect workers to arrive in late April, with the majority not arriving until early May. “Planning earlier is no longer enough,” she adds. “Strategy, timing and execution matter more than ever.”