US to slash H-2B supplemental work visas by 50% — Seasonal job sectors to take the hit

The Trump administration is cutting the number of temporary work visas for seasonal industries, delivering a major setback to landscaping, hospitality, and tourism sectors that had previously received full discretionary visas under the Biden administration. According to DOL, under this new plan, just 35,000 supplemental H-2B visas will be released this year, a near 50% drop compared to the last three years under the Biden administration.

US departments announce extra H-2B visas for 2026

The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL) on Jan 6 announced that an additional 35,000 H-2B visas will be made available in fiscal year 2026. These visas are meant to supplement the 66,000 H-2B visas that are normally issued each year.

While this extra allocation is higher than the standard yearly limit, it marks a drop compared with the past three fiscal years. In each of those years, almost twice as many supplemental H-2B visas were made available to help businesses meet seasonal staffing needs. In the previous three years, the Biden administration had made all 64,716 discretionary visas available to businesses struggling with labor shortages, according to Bloomberg.

Each year, the H-2B program provides 66,000 visas under a statutory cap, split evenly between winter and summer hiring seasons. Since 2017, Congress has allowed the Labor and Homeland Security departments to release additional visas depending on labor market conditions. Business groups have repeatedly asked the agencies to issue the full number of supplemental visas to help fill staffing gaps in industries facing worker shortages.

Lowest number since 2021

The 35,000 visas announced by the Trump administration represent the lowest supplemental allocation since fiscal year 2021. The Department of Labor said in a Dec. 31 notice that a temporary final rule detailing eligibility and filing requirements would be published in the coming weeks. According to DOL, “These visas will support American businesses with seasonal or temporary workforce needs in critical infrastructure sectors of the US economy, such as seafood, forestry, hospitality and tourism, transportation, and manufacturing.”

Understanding the H-2B program

The H-2B program allows US employers and their authorised agents to bring foreign workers into the United States for temporary, nonagricultural jobs. To hire a worker under this program, the employer or agent must submit Form I-129, known as the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, on behalf of the prospective employee.

There is a legal limit, or “cap,” on the total number of H-2B visas that can be issued each fiscal year. Currently, Congress has set this cap at 66,000 visas per year. If some visas go unused in the first half of the year, they can be added to the second half.

Once the yearly cap is reached, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can only accept applications for workers who are exempt from the H-2B cap.