On January 25, 2013, USCIS provided an update of the amount of
cap-subject H-2B visas received and approved by the federal agency for
the first and second halves of Fiscal Year 2013. According to USCIS, a
total of 29,227 beneficiaries have been approved for the first half of
Fiscal Year 2013, with an additional 3,047 petitions pending. A total of
2,264 beneficiaries have been approved for the second half of Fiscal
Year 2013, with an additional 2,395 petitions pending.
Congressionally-based legislation limits the amount of H-2B visas
provided per fiscal year to a total of 66,000, with 33,000 allocated for
employment for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 allocated
for employment for the second half of the fiscal year. Unused numbers
from the first half of the fiscal year are made available for use by
employers seeking H-2B workers during the second half of the year. These
numbers do not, however, carry over from one fiscal year to another.
