Trump approved more H‑2B visas

President Donald Trump’s administration opened up 64,716 extra H-2B visas for 2026, nearly doubling the program’s annual supply for seasonal nonfarm jobs. (uscis.gov) The H-2B program lets United States employers hire foreign workers for temporary nonagricultural jobs such as landscaping, hospitality, construction and seafood processing. Congress sets a base cap of 66,000 visas a year, split between the first and second halves of the fiscal year. (uscis.gov) The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor published the 2026 increase as a temporary final rule effective January 30 through September 30, 2026. The rule says employers seeking the extra visas must attest they face “irreparable harm,” meaning permanent and severe financial loss, without the workers. (federalregister.gov) Most of the added visas, 46,226, were reserved for “returning workers” who held H-2B status in one of the past three fiscal years. Another 18,490 were set aside for late-season jobs starting between May 1 and September 30, 2026, and did not require workers to be returnees. (uscis.gov) Demand was fast enough that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services said on March 10, 2026 it had already received enough petitions to hit the regular second-half cap. The agency also said the first returning-worker supplemental allocation was oversubscribed by February 6 and had to be decided by lottery. (uscis.gov, uscis.gov) The latest scrutiny comes because the Wall Street Journal reported the visa expansion followed private appeals from people tied to Trump’s clubs and allied business networks. Separate reporting has identified Mar-a-Lago-linked figures and industry advocates pressing the White House for a larger guest-worker allotment. (msn.com, nationaltoday.com) Politico reported on April 12 that Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, had pushed the administration to “max out” seasonal worker visas for employers including seafood companies in his district. Harris told business owner Jack Brooks, “we got it done,” after the administration expanded the allotment. (politico.com) Trump’s own businesses have also relied on the program. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported in April 2025 that Trump’s Bedminster club sought H-2B workers days after the administration released new visa slots, and that a Seasonal Employment Alliance political fundraiser had been held at Mar-a-Lago less than two weeks before that announcement. (citizensforethics.org) Supporters of the expansion say the visas fill jobs that seasonal employers cannot staff in time for peak demand. Critics have argued the program gives politically connected businesses a direct line to immigration policy at the same time Trump is publicly backing a broader immigration crackdown. (politico.com, citizensforethics.org) For now, the policy change is limited to fiscal year 2026, but it has already reshaped the labor pool for this summer’s seasonal employers. The political fight around it is now centered less on whether the visas exist than on who persuaded the White House to release them. (federalregister.gov, uscis.gov)