On July 30, 2008, USCIS announced that it reached the H-2B cap for the first half of the fiscal year 2009 which begins October 1, 2008. July 29, 2008, is the “final receipt date” for new H-2B worker petitions requesting employment start dates prior to April 1, 2009. This means that new H-2B petition may no longer be filed by employers if the requested employment start date is earlier than April 1, 2009. Employers who need H-2B workers starting April 1, 2009 should start the process now to compete for these 33,000 H-2B visas. The race for these visas starts October 1, 2008.

By Ann Massey Badmus