The federal government has raised the cap on a visa program that’s commonly used by many seasonal businesses in Connecticut.
Already a Subscriber? Log in
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Hartford Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Hartford and Connecticut business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Hartford Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
The federal government has raised the cap on a visa program that’s commonly used by many seasonal businesses in Connecticut including hospitality, landscaping, seafood processing, construction and tourism.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a temporary final rule increasing the H-2B cap for fiscal year 2026 by up to 64,716 supplemental visas.
That’s in addition to the standard 66,000 annual statutory cap. The move is intended to help employers facing ongoing seasonal and temporary labor shortages.
However, one attorney is warning Connecticut businesses that access to these additional visas is not automatic.
“Employers must show they are suffering — or will imminently suffer — ‘irreparable harm’ if they cannot secure the requested workers,” said Leonard J. D'Arrigo who leads the immigration practice of Harris Beach Murtha. “In other words, the government is looking for real financial consequences, not simply inconvenience or tight labor markets.”
In written guidance, D’Arrigo explains that employers must submit an attestation under penalty of perjury and keep supporting evidence for at least three years.
The Department of Homeland Security and the federal Department of Labor may audit or investigate visa applications, and employers are urged to keep good records.
D’Arrigo says that the agencies will be looking for evidence such as lost contracts, cancelled bookings, reduced production capacity, revenue decline or risk of shutting down operations as evidence of irreparable harm.
Financial statements, revenue projections, contracts, purchase orders, seasonal demand data and records showing unsuccessful efforts to hire U.S. workers can all be used.
