How H-2B Works for Employers: 2026 Steps, Costs and Timeline
Every winter, landscaping firms, hotels, ski resorts, seafood plants and carnivals face the same problem: they need extra hands for a few months and cannot find enough local workers. The H-2B visa program is the legal way to bring in temporary non-farm workers from abroad. But it has many steps, strict deadlines and fees that confuse first-time employers.
This guide explains how H-2B works for employers in plain English, step by step, with the official 2026 government fees and a realistic timeline. Every fee below comes from the current federal fee rules (8 CFR 106), the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Labor (DOL).
What is the H-2B program?
H-2B lets US employers hire foreign nationals for temporary non-agricultural jobs. USCIS says the need must be temporary and fall into one of four types:
- Seasonal: tied to a season, such as summer landscaping or a ski season
- Peakload: a short-term rise in demand on top of permanent staff
- Inte...
