H1B Visa Lawyer Blog
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:
• Current H-2B workers in the U.S. petitioning to extend their stay and, if applicable, change the terms of their employment or change their employers;
• Fish roe processors, fish roe technicians and/or supervisors of fish roe processing; and
• Workers performing labor or services from November 28, 2009 until December 31, 2019, in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and/or Guam.
For more detailed information about this subject please review the USCIS News Alert, “USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for Fiscal Year 2017“.
Source of Information:
USCIS.gov, 3/16/17, News Alert:
USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for Fiscal Year 2017
USCIS.gov, 3/16/17, Web Page:
Cap Count for H-2B Nonimmigrants