The United States government has opened the application portal for H-2B visas, allowing U.S. employers to submit requests for temporary non-agricultural foreign workers for job roles that would start on October 1, 2025.
According to a public notice from the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), the application window runs for three 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 allows U.S. businesses to temporarily employ foreign workers in roles such as hospitality, landscaping, construction, and other non-farm services, especially during seasonal or peak-load periods when local labor is insufficient.
Visa cap and maximum stay
The H-2B visa has an annual numerical cap of 66,000, split equally across two halves of the fiscal year:
- 33,000 visas for employment from October 1 to March 31
- 33,000 visas for employment from April 1 to September 30
Successful applicants under the program are permitted to work in the U.S. for up to three years, after which they must exit the country and remain outside for at least three months before reapplying.
Eligibility and employer requirements
To qualify under the H-2B program, U.S. employers must:
- Prove that the job is temporary
- Show that no U.S. workers are available, qualified, or willing to take the job
- Demonstrate that hiring foreign workers will not negatively affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. employees
- The jobs must be non-agricultural and meet criteria such as seasonal, peak-load, one-time, or intermittent need.
Only applications submitted during the official July 3–5 window will be considered for the October 1, 2025, start date.
The OFLC has confirmed that all submissions received within the window will be subjected to a randomized selection process, not processed in order of receipt. This method was adopted in a regulation issued March 4, 2019, and aims to ensure fairness amid growing demand for limited visa slots.
Employers are further cautioned to submit only one application per job role to avoid disqualification or unnecessary delays.
Documents and compliance
- Each application must include Form ETA-9142B along with necessary appendices.
- Submissions must be directed to the designated National Processing Center (NPC).
- Employers must ensure they are registered as H-2B users and comply with all regulatory and timing requirements.
While applications now being received are for FY 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) have announced the release of 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas for Fiscal Year 2025 to address ongoing labor shortages across critical sectors.
