U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 23 that it had received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 19,000 H-2B visas made available for returning workers for the early second half of fiscal year 2025 under a temporary final rule. ​

The rule, issued by the Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the Department of Labor, temporarily increases the number of H-2B visas available for fiscal year 2025 by up to 64,716 and distributes them in four allocations throughout the fiscal year.

H-2B visas are for nonagricultural temporary workers, such as those in landscaping, hospitality, or construction, whose employers experience demonstrated labor shortages. Some LeadingAge aging services providers consider H-2B visas as a means to employ short-term personal care aides, nursing assistants and home health aides, among other positions.

Starting on April 21, USCIS began accepting petitions for workers for the late second half of FY25, requesting employment start dates from May 15 to September 30. Additional information about FY 2025 supplemental H-2B nonimmigrant visas is here.