AmericanHort and other members of the H-2B Workforce Coalition are asking federal agencies to release 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas for fiscal 2027, saying employers with seasonal labor needs need certainty as the new fiscal year approaches.
The Sept. 25, 2026, request is an advocacy action, not an announced visa allocation. As of publication, the departments of Homeland Security and Labor had not issued a fiscal 2027 temporary rule making the requested supplemental visas available.
For floral and horticulture businesses, that distinction matters. Operators planning spring production, greenhouse order fulfillment, landscape installation and other seasonal work should not build staffing plans on the assumption that the additional visas will be released.
Coalition seeks the full supplemental amount
AmericanHort said it joined the H-2B Workforce Coalition in urging the agencies to make the full 64,716 supplemental visas available for fiscal 2027. The organization said the statutory cap for the first half of the fiscal year was reached Sept. 4 and asked the agencies to follow a process similar to the one used in the previous fiscal year.
The regular H-2B cap is 66,000 visas per fiscal year, divided between the first and second halves. Congress has periodically authorized the administration to make additional visas available, but an authorization does not by itself create an allocation. Employers must wait for a federal rule and follow its eligibility, timing and filing requirements.
AmericanHort represents businesses across the green industry and has long treated seasonal labor access as a priority. Its latest request reflects pressure that can affect production schedules, order lead times and service capacity, but the group did not announce a federal decision or a date when supplemental visas might become available.
Labor certifications show demand, not visa approvals
Department of Labor data provide another view of the demand. On its processing-times page, updated Sept. 24, the department reported certifying 3,214 H-2B cases covering 57,045 positions for jobs with start dates from Oct. 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027.
Those figures describe labor certifications, an early step in a multistage federal process. They do not represent visas issued, workers admitted or positions that ultimately will be filled. After receiving a labor certification, an employer generally must petition U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and complete the remaining consular or admission steps.
The certification total nevertheless shows why operators are watching for agency action. A supplemental rule can contain returning-worker requirements, country-specific allocations, filing windows or other conditions that affect which employers can use it.
H-2B is limited to temporary nonagricultural work
The H-2B program covers temporary nonagricultural services or labor. The job must be temporary and generally full time, defined by the Labor Department as at least 35 hours per week. Employers must establish that there are not enough U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified and available, and that hiring H-2B workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers.
Employers also must obtain a prevailing wage determination, submit a job order and labor certification application, recruit U.S. workers and meet wage, transportation, disclosure and recordkeeping obligations. The offered wage must meet applicable federal requirements.
H-2B is separate from the H-2A program for temporary agricultural work. A horticulture business cannot select a program based only on its industry label. Eligibility depends on the duties and circumstances of the job. Mixed operations with production, retail, delivery, installation or maintenance work should have qualified counsel review classifications and filing strategies.
Plan around confirmed capacity
Growers, distributors, retailers and service providers can prepare without treating the coalition’s request as a forecast. They should track official notices from Homeland Security, Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; maintain backup staffing and production plans; and review the labor assumptions behind spring availability and delivery commitments.
Businesses that use staffing contractors or rely on seasonal suppliers also can ask how labor constraints may affect fill rates, substitutions and lead times. Written contingency plans are especially useful for crop turns, holiday programs and installations with narrow completion windows.
Employers considering H-2B should preserve recruitment, wage, housing or transportation records required for their circumstances and confirm deadlines with experienced advisers. They also should avoid recruiting or promising positions on the basis of a possible supplemental allocation.
The coalition’s request puts the issue before the agencies as fiscal 2027 begins Oct. 1. Until a rule is published, the practical signal for horticulture businesses is to monitor the process while planning with the workers and capacity they can confirm.
For a separate workforce initiative focused on connecting employers and candidates, see New Ascent Career Event Targets Agriculture’s Growing Talent Gap.
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