Nearly 65,000 Additional H-2B Visas to be Issued

Labor
Published
Contact: Sam Gilboard
[email protected]
Director, Federal Legislative
(202) 266-8407

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it will be making available an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker visas for fiscal year 2025, which began on Oct. 1, on top of the standard 66,000 H-2B visas that are normally available each fiscal year.

H-2B visas allow employers to hire foreign workers who come temporarily to the United States and perform temporary non-agricultural services or labor — including construction work — on a one-time, seasonal, peak-load or intermittent basis.

The supplemental visa allocation will help address the need for seasonal and temporary workers in areas where too few U.S. workers are available, willing and qualified to do the temporary work and address the labor needs of American businesses.

The H-2B supplemental rule includes an allocation of 20,000 visas to workers from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador or Costa Rica. The remaining 44,716 supplemental visas will be available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa, or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years.

The regulation would allocate the supplemental visas for returning workers between the first half and second half of the fiscal year to account for the need for additional seasonal and other temporary workers over the course of the year, with a portion of the second half allocation reserved to meet the demand for workers during the peak summer season.

Additional details on eligibility and filing requirements will be available in the temporary final rule and on the DHS Cap Count for H-2B Nonimmigrants webpage.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Sustainability and Green Building | IBS

Jul 22, 2025

2026 IBS Sustainability & Green Building Scholarship Application Now Open

The NAHB IBS Sustainability and Green Building Scholarship aims to provide emerging green builders exposure to the world of high-performance homes and help them jump-start their professional journey by attending the International Builders’ Show (IBS).

Housing Finance

Jul 21, 2025

House Bill Restores Funding for Several Housing Programs from Trump Budget

The House Appropriations Committee has voted to restore funding for key housing programs that President Trump eliminated in his “skinny budget,” such as housing choice vouchers, project-based rental assistance and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jul 22, 2025

Top 10 Builder Market Share Across Metros

An earlier post described how the top 10 builders in the country captured a record 44.7% of new single-family closings in 2024. BUILDER Magazine has now released additional data on the top ten builders within each of the 50 largest new home markets in the U.S., ranked by single-family permits.

Economics

Jul 21, 2025

Use of Private Water and Sewer Systems in New Single-Family Homes

The share of new single-family homes built with individual septic systems declined slightly in 2024 compared to the previous year, while the share of homes served by private wells remained steady.

Economics

Jul 21, 2025

Sales of Lower-Priced New Single-Family Homes Declined Over the Past Five Years

From 2020 to 2024, sales of lower-priced new homes declined significantly as the market moved toward higher-priced segments. Rising construction costs—driven by inflation, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages—as well as higher regulatory costs, made it increasingly difficult for builders to construct affordable homes.