Work Visa Application Deadlines 2024: There are several opportunities to work legally in the United States, such as the H-2 visa programs. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has shared the deadlines for this year’s H-2 visa applications.
Through the H-2 program, certain U.S. employers or agents can bring foreign nationals who are able, willing, qualified, and available to fill temporary jobs to the country. A temporary agricultural worker is granted a H-2A visa and a temporary non-agricultural employee receives a H-2B visa under this class of visa program.
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Work visa application deadlines in 2024
The USCIS reported that it has received enough requests to meet the maximum number of H-2B visas for the second half of fiscal year 2024.
Although it has supplemental H-2B visas for the remainder of fiscal year 2024, it continues to accept H-2B petitions that are exempt from the Congress-imposed limit.
As H-2B visas are for employers seeking additional workers during certain periods of the fiscal year, they have different deadlines.
For each of the supplemental visa assignments, here are the filing start dates:
- Employers wishing to employ nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica, regardless of whether such nationals are returning workers: USCIS will begin accepting requests from employers from March 22, 2024 for employment to begin between April 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024.
- On March 22, 2024, USCIS will begin accepting petitions for the additional 19,000 visas available to returning workers, regardless of their country of nationality, for the second half of fiscal year 2024 (April 1 to May 14).
- By the end of fiscal year 2024 (May 15 to September 30), USCIS will begin accepting petitions for the additional 5,000 visas available to returning workers, regardless of their country of nationality.
- Supplemental visas are available only to U.S. businesses that are experiencing irreparable harm or are on their way to experiencing irreparable harm without the ability to hire all H-2B workers requested in their petition.
For the second half of fiscal year 2024, USCIS will stop accepting supplemental visa petitions after September 16, 2024, or when the applicable limit has been reached.
