US reaches H-2B cap for second half of FY2008

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they have received enough H-2B applications to start the selection process for meeting the quota of 33,000 workers for the second half of fiscal year 2008 (FY2008).

The H-2B visa allows US employers to hire overseas workers for temporary or seasonal, non-agricultural labor. Under US immigration rules, 66,000 people are allowed to come to the country under the H-2B program each year. USCIS announced that they had received enough applications for the first half of FY2008 on 01 October 2007.

USCIS said that the final receipt date for applications was 02 January 2008 for workers requesting employment start dates prior to 01 October 2008. USCIS will reject applications for new H-2B workers that are received after the final receipt date.

Authorization for an H-2B visa is limited to a maximum of one year. However, employers can apply for an H-2B worker's visa to be extended for up to three years.

Applications for people who are currently working in the US under an H-2B visa do not count towards the cap. USCIS will continue to process applications that are filed to extend the stay of a current H-2B worker, change the terms of employment, and allow H-2B workers to change or add employers.

The applications received on time for new H-2B workers will be selected using a random computer generated process. After reaching the quota of 33,000 workers, USCIS will reject the rest of the applications and return the fee.