On November 30, 2015, USCIS provided an update of the amount of cap-subject H-2B visas received and approved by the federal agency for first half of fiscal year 2016. According to USCIS, a total of 11,520 beneficiaries have been approved for the first half of fiscal year 2016, with an additional 1,952 petitions pending. USCIS has not yet received applications for the second half of Fiscal Year 2016.
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.
