PRACTICE AREA · IMMIGRATION
Your workforce strategy starts six months early.
We start it for you.
H-2B visa preparation, filing, and compliance for U.S. employers in seasonal industries. Strategy timed for the federal lottery, not the calendar.
Or call (949) 940-6725
01
Filing begins in May
FOR OCTOBER 1 START DATE
If you're staffing a winter season — ski resorts, holiday retail, Q4 logistics — the timeline is already moving. Federal cap of 33,000 visas opens October 1.
Filing begins in October
02
FOR APRIL 1 START DATE
For landscaping, summer hospitality, and outdoor recreation. Another 33,000 visas — and another lottery.
INDUSTRIES WE SERVE
Seasonal hiring cycles span industries with shared compliance needs. We handle the H-2B pipeline so your operations team can focus on running the business.
01
Hospitality & Resorts
Hotels, ski resorts, restaurants, vacation properties, and country clubs.
02
Landscaping & Outdoor
Landscapers, groundskeepers, golf course staff, and forestry operations.
03
Logistics & Warehousing
Peak-season warehouse, distribution, and last-mile staffing for Q4 e-commerce surges.
04
Seafood & Food Production
Crab and oyster processors, fish cutters, and seasonal food production lines.
Also serves: event production crews, sports tournament support staff, festival operations, and conference logistics teams. See our Sports Tourism Visas page → for international athletes and media credentials.
THE H-2B TIMELINE
Two timelines. Two start dates. One window each year.
H-2B has two federal filing windows annually — one for October 1 start dates, one for April 1 start dates. Each runs about six months of advance work. Miss your window and you miss the season.
FOR OCTOBER 1 START
Best for: winter resorts, holiday retail, Q4 logistics
FOR APRIL 1 START
Best for: landscaping, summer hospitality, outdoor recreation
MAY
Step 1 Prevailing Wage
We file the Prevailing Wage Application with the Department of Labor. Determines minimum required wage based on location and role.
MAY
Step 1 Prevailing Wage
We file the Prevailing Wage Application with the Department of Labor. Determines minimum required wage based on location and role.
JULY 3-5
Step 2 Labor Condition & Statement of Need
Filed with the DOL in a tight three-day window. Persuasive evidence supporting your period of need.
JANUARY 1-3
Step 2 Labor Condition & Statement of Need
Filed with the DOL in a tight three-day window in early January.
JULY - AUGUST
Step 3 U.S. Worker Recruitment
We file the Prevailing Wage Application with the Department of Labor. Determines minimum required wage based on location and role.
JANUARY - MARCH
Step 3 U.S. Worker Recruitment
Onsite ad, local workforce posting (15 business days), former-worker outreach, interviews.
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
Step 4 I-129 Petition to USCIS
We file the Prevailing Wage Application with the Department of Labor. Determines minimum required wage based on location and role.
MARCH - APRIL
Step 4 I-129 Petition to USCIS
Filed once DOL certifies. One application per location.
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER
Step 5 Visa Processing at Consulate
Workers file DS-160 and attend interview at U.S. embassy in their home country.
MARCH - APRIL
Step 5 Visa Processing at Consulate
Workers file DS-160 and attend interview at U.S. embassy.
COMMON QUESTIONS
These are the questions we hear most often from HR managers, business owners, and operations leaders planning their H-2B cycle.
01
Six months before your intended start date. For an October 1 start, that means filing the Prevailing Wage Application in May. For an April 1 start, that means October. Waiting until you "need" workers means you've already missed the window.
When do I really need to start preparing?
02
There are 66,000 H-2B visas available each fiscal year — 33,000 for October–March start dates, 33,000 for April–September. Once those slots fill, they're gone. Lottery groups (A–G) determine your priority; we structure timing to put you in the highest-eligible group.
How does the federal cap work?
03
How long can H-2B workers stay?
Initial stays are up to one year, tied to the certified period of need. Extensions are available in one-year increments, up to a maximum total stay of three years. After three years, workers must return home for at least three months before requalifying.
04
Spouses and unmarried children under 21 may apply for H-4 status to accompany the H-2B worker. H-4 dependents may attend school in the U.S. but cannot work.
Can H-2B workers bring their families?
05
Three things: that there aren't enough able, willing, qualified U.S. workers available for the role; that hiring H-2B workers won't adversely affect U.S. workers' wages or conditions; and that the need is genuinely temporary — seasonal, peakload, intermittent, or one-time. The Department of Labor certification process is built around proving these three points.
What does an employer have to prove to qualify?
06
Congress periodically releases supplemental H-2B visas through executive order — typically several months into the fiscal year. Clients we successfully filed for in Groups B–D over the past three years have been approved using these supplemental allocations.
What if the cap fills before my petition is approved?
WHY THE GRADY FIRM
Not just paperwork.
Visa Strategy in Turbulent Times.
• Anticipating DOL filing windows before they open
• Building the Statement of Need with evidence that survives audit
• Coordinating simultaneous multi-location filings without missing fees or deadlines
• Navigating the lottery groups (A-G) and supplemental visa releases when the cap fills
Not sure which visa fits your situation?
Get a clear answer before the wait times grow longer!
LATEST INSIGHTS
Recent writing on the H-2B program.
