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USCIS to Reopen H-2B Cap for the Second Half of Fiscal Year 2015
On June 5, 2015, USCIS will reopen the congressionally mandated fiscal year (FY) 2015 cap and will accept Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, requesting new H-2B workers with an employment start date between April 1 and September 30, 2015.
Why USCIS is Reopening the 2nd half FY 2015 Cap for H-2B Petitions
USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for the Second Half of Fiscal Year 2015
On June 5, 2015, USCIS announced that it had reopened the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for the second half of fiscal year (FY) 2015. USCIS has now received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the H-2B cap for the second half of FY 2015. June 11, 2015 was the final receipt date for new H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before October 1, 2015.
H-2 Visa - Temporary Workers
The H-2B visa category is used by U.S. employers to temporarily employ skilled or unskilled foreign nationals in nonagricultural positions for which the employer has a temporary need and for which qualified U.S. workers are unavailable. The company must plan to employ the foreign nationals for a temporary period and the employer’s need for the skills of the foreign nationals must also be temporary. In addition, the employer must seek a “labor certification” from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) certifying that: