Source: USCIS, 6/15/15
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. The final receipt date is the date when USCIS received enough cap-subject petitions to reach the statutory limit of 66,000 H-2B workers for FY 2015. What Happens After Reaching the Cap USCIS will reject new H-2B petitions that: • Request an employment start date before October 1, 2015; and • Were received after June 11, 2015.
Petitions That Are Exempt from the Cap USCIS will continue to accept H-2B petitions that are exempt from the congressionally mandated cap. These include the following types of petitions: • H-2B workers in the United States or abroad who have been previously counted towards the cap in the same fiscal year; • Current H-2B workers seeking an extension of stay; • Current H-2B workers seeking a change of employer or terms of employment; • Fish roe processors, fish roe technicians and/or supervisors of fish roe processing; and • H-2B workers performing labor or services in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and/or Guam until December 31, 2019. Additionally, the spouse and children of H-2B workers classified as H-4 nonimmigrants are not counted against this cap. Once the H-2B cap is reached, USCIS will only accept petitions for H-2B workers who are exempt from the H-2B cap.
FY 2016 H-2B Cap Petitions USCIS will consider H-2B petitions received on or after October 1, 2015, and/or requesting an employment start date on or after October 1, 2015, towards the FY 2016 H-2B cap. These petitions will be subject to all eligibility requirements for FY 2016 H-2B cap filings.
For more information about the H-2B work program, visit our website at uscis.gov/h-2b or call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD for the hearing impaired: 1-800-767-1833).
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