United States | H-2B visa processing times as of March 17

Applications for requested need date for first half of fiscal year (FY) 2026 visa cap (Oct. 1, 2025–March 31, 2026):

The Department of Labor reported that, as of March 17, a total of 6,299 cases were issued final decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 116,808 workers.

Applications for requested need date for second half of FY 2026 visa cap (April 1–Sept. 30, 2026):

The DOL reported that, as of March 17, a total of 3,755 cases were issued final decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 54,453 workers.

H-2B prevailing wage determination (PWD) processing times:

As of March 5, the number of remaining requests for H-2B visa PWD applications received in December 2025 was 8. The number of remaining requests for January 2026 was 88 and the number of remaining requests for February 2026 was 233.

DOL guidance on H-2B processing times:

These dates reflect the month and year in which applications were filed (request date) or submission date of the appeal request for redeterminations or center director review. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) encourages employers to request a PWD for the H-2B program at least 60 days before the date the determination is needed.

OFLC may be completing the processing of applications filed prior to the month posted for various reasons. Withdrawn and voided requests are excluded from the total, which may cause the numbers for previous months to fluctuate.

Additional information:

The Department of Homeland Security issued a temporary final rule published on Feb. 3, 2026, authorizing up to 64,716 additional H‑2B visas for fiscal year 2026 with phased allocations, an “irreparable‑harm attestation” and certain filing window dates. Further guidance on the temporary increase, including instructions on how to file an H-2B petition for additional visas, can be found here.

Learn more about the BAL attorneys who help employers secure additional H-2B visas.

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

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