United States | H-2B visa cap reached for first half FY 2027

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it has “has received enough petitions to meet the congressionally established H-2B cap for the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2027.”

Key takeaways:

Final receipt date. Sept. 4, 2026, was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2027.

Reasons for rejection. Any new cap-subject H-2B petitions received after Sept. 4, 2026, and requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2027, will be rejected.

Additional information: More information on the cap count for the H-2B program can be found here.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

Copyright © 2026 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.