The policy follows similar expansions of the visa program under President Joe Biden.
The temporary rule, which went into effect on Jan. 30, will make the additional visas available to businesses in industries such as construction, hospitality, landscaping, and seafood processing that risk harm to the financial system if they cannot find a sufficient number of workers.
The expansion adds on to the congressionally mandated cap of 66,000 H-2B visas, which are divided evenly between the first and second halves of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2026.
This decision comes in light of ongoing complaints from seasonal employers about the shortages of American workers looking to fill temporary positions.
Hotels, construction firms, and other businesses have called for more visas due to ongoing labor market tightness in these sectors.
Critics argue that increasing H-2B visas undercuts wages and job opportunities for U.S. workers, creating dependency on foreign labor.
Biden also added supplemental visas to meet demand. During Trump’s first term, his administration also increased H-2B allocations.
Trump has overseen a strict immigration policy, issuing travel bans from certain countries, increased scrutiny of refugee and asylum applications, and a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, which are used heavily by technology companies. The administration faces a lawsuit over the fee.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) both administer the H-2B visa program and require employers to advertise jobs domestically first and pay competitive wages.
For fiscal year 2026, an initial announcement in December 2025 suggested 35,000 supplemental visas. The latest notice, however, indicates a higher allocation to address heightened demand.
Demand for H-2B visas have far exceeded caps. In FY 2026, the DOL received 8,759 applications requesting more than 162,000 worker positions for the second half, prompting randomization lotteries.
“These visas will provide employers with the ability to better handle their labor challenges, as they will have additional certainty regarding their workforce planning decisions in the coming months,” the letter reads.
“We urge you to promptly publish a temporary rule implementing the release of these supplemental visas.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
