The H-2B visa was created to allow people to come to the U.S. temporarily as nonagricultural workers, to fill positions for which U.S. workers are in short supply. A total of 66,000 H‑2B visa petitions may be approved during the U.S. government fiscal year, which runs from October 1 through September 30. (See the Immigration and Nationality Act or I.N.A. §101(a)(15)(H), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(H).)
For purposes of the H-2B visa, however, the law basically divides the fiscal year into two parts, so that a limit of 33,000 visas can be passed out during the first six months and the remainder during the second six months of the fiscal year. The annual quota is not always enough to meet the demand for visas in this category.
