nonimmigrant visas

April 5, 2017

USCIS Announces Further Measures to Detect H-1B Visa Fraud and Abuse

On Monday, April 3rd, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced further measures to deter and detect H-1B visa fraud and abuse. USCIS feels they are protecting the American worker by combating fraud in our H-1B nonimmigrant visa program and has made that a priority.

USCIS will take a more targeted approach when making site visits across the country to H-1B petitioners and the worksites of H-1B employees. By filing an H-1B petition with the USCIS, an employer is giving the agency the authority to conduct random site visits to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations governing the H1B nonimmigrant visa program.

USCIS will focus on:

March 29, 2017

USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for FY 2017

by Kellie N. Lego

On Monday, March 13, 2017, USCIS announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap (66,000) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. March 13, 2017 is now the “final receipt date” for cap-subject H-2B worker requesting employment start dates before October 1, 2017. The “final receipt date” is the date on which USCIS determined that it has received enough cap-subject petitions to reach the limit of H-2B workers for FY2017.

USCIS will reject new H-2B petitions that were received after March 13, 2017 and that request an employment start date before October 1, 2017, but there are some exceptions!

The exceptions are listed below:

March 9, 2017

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE (end 1st half) – 2/28/17

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2017 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/10/17) this first half cap count has been reached. Please read USCIS update below!

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2017 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (2/28/17); 14,348 beneficiaries have been approved and 9,430 are pending for a total of 23,778.

February 28, 2017

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE (end 1st half) – 2/17/17

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2017 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/10/17) this first half cap count has been reached. Please read USCIS update below!

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2017 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (2/17/17); 6,731 beneficiaries have been approved and 8,375 are pending for a total of 15,106.

February 22, 2017

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE (end 1st half) – 2/9/17

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2017 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/10/17) this first half cap count has been reached. Please read USCIS update below!

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2017 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (2/9/17); 2,523 beneficiaries have been approved and 5,576 are pending for a total of 8,099.

January 9, 2017

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 12/19/16

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2017 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (12/19/16); 17,003 beneficiaries have been approved and 4,250 are pending for a total of 21,253.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2017 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (12/19/16); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

December 12, 2016

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 12/1/16

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2017 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (12/1/16); 13,566 beneficiaries have been approved and 2,028 are pending for a total of 15,597.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2017 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (12/1/16); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

November 15, 2016

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 11/7/16

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2017 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (11/7/16); 11,696 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,113 are pending for a total of 12,809.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2017 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (11/7/16); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

October 11, 2016

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 9/19/16

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2017 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (9/19/16); 5,310 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,377 are pending for a total of 6,687.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2017 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (9/19/16); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

June 15, 2016

USCIS Teleconference – H-2A and H-2B Nonimmigrant Visa Classifications – 6/29/16

by Kellie N. Lego

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be holding a teleconference on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 between 2:00 to 3:30pm (Eastern). The subject of the event will be “H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant visa classifications”. The first half will focus on the H-2A classification (temporary agricultural workers) and the second half will focus on the H-2B classification (temporary non-agricultural workers).

The teleconference will include a brief overview of each program and summary of recent updates. USCIS officials will answer the non-case specific questions submitted in advance and if time permits, a live Q&A session. If you would like to submit questions before the teleconference, please email USCISIGAOutreach@uscis.dhs.gov by Friday, June 10, at 5pm (Eastern). Please put “H-2 Teleconference” in the subject line, and specify if your question is related to H-2A or H-2B.

Event Information: