H-2B Visa- Processing Time:

Important Information:

The H-2B program could be of great assistance to many employers but it is a time sensitive process. The following are basic guidelines that could help you understand how the process works.

1. Labor certifications take two to three months, depending on the state and regional Department of Labor office that you are applying from.
2. Petition approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) take an additional two to four weeks, but can take as long as two months, unless the petition is filed using the Premium Processing Service.  
3. Once the petition is approved, visas are approved within two days to two weeks depending on the U.S. Consulate. 
4. A minimum of four to five months should be allowed for a complete processing of the H-2B Visa.
5. An employee may qualify for an H-2B Visa when coming to the U.S. to accept the following types of employment:
• Seasonal
• Peak load
• Intermittent
• One time occurrence
• Periodic
• Recurrent annually

For current information you may visit www.dol.gov and www.uscis.gov