WASHINGTON DC (Kashmir English): The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor have declared that in the year 2026, the United States is going to give out 35,000 more H-2B work visas.
This means the total number of H-2B visas issued in a year will be 66,000, which provides a little help to the American employers who rely upon the foreign seasonal workforce to handle the summer peak demand.
However, this increase in the number of work visas issued for 2026 indicates a big decline in the usual pace of issuance when compared to recent years.
During the period 2023-2025, the government released almost double the number of H-2B work visas for that year. The new lower limit has generated a backlash from the concerned industries, which are dependent on foreign labor during the peak seasons and are already anticipating the shortage in their workforce.
The holders of the H-2B work visa are allowed to work in non-agricultural and temporary jobs in the US, provided the local working force is not available. The jobs, which fall under this category, are usually seasonal or based on short-term needs.
The industries, which are the most active users of this program, include hospitality, tourism, seafood and food processing, landscaping, forestry, construction support, manufacturing, and amusement parks.
The visas are issued and sponsored by employers, with the condition that the workers have to go back to their home countries after the employment period expires. The officials confirmed that the extra H-2B work visas for 2026 would target the most critical sectors, such as seafood processing, forestry, hospitality, tourism, transport, and manufacturing, among others.
Since there are only a limited number of visas, it is expected that the competition among the employers and the workers will be very high. The employers are warning that the issuance of fewer numbers of supplemental visas could lead to labor shortages, tight filing deadlines, and more uncertainty around the planning of the workforce.
For the foreign workers, the smaller allocation means they will have to compete harder, and there will be fewer
