US to issue 35,000 H-2B work visas in 2026

WASHINGTON, DC: In 2026, the U.S. government will issue an additional 35,000 H-2B work visas, as announced by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor.

This means that the total number of seasonal and non-seasonal visas available for foreign workers this year will be 66,000, plus the new ones, which will help US employers who need foreigners during the peak demand period. However, the 2026 quota, despite its scope, will still be far less than the numbers of recent years.

The US government issued much larger numbers of supplemental H-2B work visas for 2023-2025. The cut in the quota has prompted industries to voice their concerns, especially those heavily depending on temporary foreign labor for their peak-season staffing.

The H-2B visa program is a legal means for US companies to take on foreign workers for non-agricultural jobs of limited duration for which they couldn’t find qualified Americans.

Usually, these are seasonal jobs or jobs linked to a short-term demand for labor. The sectors that commonly make use of the program are: lodging, travel, fish and food processing, gardening, wood cutting, building, and even amusement rides.

This visa type, as is often the case, however, is employer-sponsored, and as such, at the end of the workers’ employment period, they must return to their countries. The government stated that the 2026 additional H-2B visas will be allocated primarily to sectors with a critical demand for labor, like seafood, wood, hotels, tourists, transportation, and even factories.

As the number of visas issuable is small, there will be fierce competition between employers and workers. The employers have already pointed out that the government’s decision to allocate fewer supplemental visas could lead to shortages of labor, very strict filing deadlines, and a very uncertain situation as regards workforce planning.

The foreign workers, on the other hand, will have to struggle more for placements because the allocation is lower, and there will thus be only limited chances for them to get a temporary job in the US.