USCIS has published a new update of the amount of cap-subject H-2B visas received for the first half of Fiscal Year 2012. According to USCIS, as of December 30, 2011, the federal agency has received 17,176 petitions toward the H-2B cap amount of 33,000 for the first half of Fiscal Year 2012. This total includes 11,414 approved petitions and 5,762 pending petitions, and is an increase of just over 2,000 petitions since the last update on December 23, 2011.
The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker visa program enables U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals to fill temporary non-agricultural positions in the U.S. There is a Congressionally-mandated annual cap for how many H-2B visas can be issued each year; 66,000 per fiscal year. This total is then separated into two half-years, allowing for 33,000 visas for the first half of the fiscal year (October 1 to March 31) and 33,000 for the second half of the fiscal year (April 1 to September 30).
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