On July 1, USCIS updated the count of H-2B petitions the organization received for the first half of Fiscal Year 2009. According to USCIS, as of July 1, 2008, 17,305 H-2B petitions have been received; the cap for the first half of FY 2009 is 33,000.

The H-2B visa program allows U.S. employers in industries that face peak loads, seasonal or intermittent labor needs to bring in additional temporary nonimmigrant workers to fill those needs. H-2B workers traditionally work in areas such as construction, health care, landscaping, lumber, manufacturing, food service and hospitality services. The H-2B visa cap allows for up to 66,000 H-2B visas to be provided each year. Note that petitions approved to extend an alien’s stay or change their terms of employment do not count against this annual cap limitation.