In a rare mid-season boost for U.S. employers, the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL) jointly announced on February 24 the release of 64,716 additional H-2B temporary non-agricultural visas for Fiscal Year 2026. The supplemental allocation—equal to three-quarters of the program’s 85,000-visa statutory cap—targets industries facing “irreparable harm” from labor shortages, including construction, hospitality, landscaping and seafood processing. Under the plan, 44,716 visas are reserved for returning workers who held H-2B status in any of the last three fiscal years, giving employers a faster pathway to workers already vetted by U.S. consulates. The remaining 20,000 are split between nationals of Northern Triangle countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras) and Haiti to support legal-migration alternatives.
![DHS & DOL Release 64,716 Supplemental H-2B Visas for FY 2026]()
If you’re racing to secure these additional H-2B slots, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the administrative burden. Through its U.S. visa portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), the platform offers document collection tools, consular appointment scheduling and real-time application tracking, allowing employers to focus on onboarding while VisaHQ navigates DHS and DOL requirements.
Employers must attest that they will pay the highest applicable wage rate and that no qualified U.S. workers are available. Why now? Seasonal-labor demand has spiked as the economy rebounds: applications for the first half of FY 2026 exceeded the quota in under one day, and the construction industry alone projects a 500,000-worker gap this summer. AGC of America, which lobbied for the expansion, said the visas “will keep billions of dollars in projects on schedule.” State workforce agencies in Texas and Florida immediately opened recruitment assistance hotlines to help small employers file time-sensitive petitions. Immigration advocates welcomed the move but urged DHS to overhaul the lottery-like allocation process that still leaves many employers empty-handed. Unions, meanwhile, reiterated concerns about worker protections and called for mandatory electronic monitoring of recruitment fees abroad. DHS said it will expand site visits and require employers to disclose foreign recruiters to combat abuses. For global-mobility teams, the action means quickly confirming job orders and labor-certification validity, then filing Form I-129 packets before the supplemental cap is exhausted—often in a matter of days. Companies that miss the window may need to pivot to J-1 or intra-company transferee strategies, underscoring the importance of diversified mobility planning.
If you’re racing to secure these additional H-2B slots, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the administrative burden. Through its U.S. visa portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), the platform offers document collection tools, consular appointment scheduling and real-time application tracking, allowing employers to focus on onboarding while VisaHQ navigates DHS and DOL requirements.
Employers must attest that they will pay the highest applicable wage rate and that no qualified U.S. workers are available. Why now? Seasonal-labor demand has spiked as the economy rebounds: applications for the first half of FY 2026 exceeded the quota in under one day, and the construction industry alone projects a 500,000-worker gap this summer. AGC of America, which lobbied for the expansion, said the visas “will keep billions of dollars in projects on schedule.” State workforce agencies in Texas and Florida immediately opened recruitment assistance hotlines to help small employers file time-sensitive petitions. Immigration advocates welcomed the move but urged DHS to overhaul the lottery-like allocation process that still leaves many employers empty-handed. Unions, meanwhile, reiterated concerns about worker protections and called for mandatory electronic monitoring of recruitment fees abroad. DHS said it will expand site visits and require employers to disclose foreign recruiters to combat abuses. For global-mobility teams, the action means quickly confirming job orders and labor-certification validity, then filing Form I-129 packets before the supplemental cap is exhausted—often in a matter of days. Companies that miss the window may need to pivot to J-1 or intra-company transferee strategies, underscoring the importance of diversified mobility planning.
