Landscaping & lawn care
Extra crews for a recurring growing season, when mowing, planting, and grounds maintenance pick up.
Hire H-2B Workers for Your Seasonal Business
The busy season is coming. Let’s plan for the people.
H2BWorkers helps U.S. employers plan temporary, nonagricultural hiring through the H-2B program—from the first review to filings and worker coordination.
For U.S. employers. Free initial review. No commitment.
What Are
H-2B Workers?
You may have seen a local hotel, contractor, or landscaping company bring in workers for its busy season. H-2B is one program employers use to fill approved temporary jobs with workers from other countries.
The program covers nonagricultural work. The employer starts the process by establishing the job and temporary need, then following the required government steps. Workers have their own applicable processing requirements, too.
You don’t need to learn every form number before asking a question. Start with the work you need done—and when you need it.
See the employer requirementsH-2B Workers for
Seasonal Industries
A hotel’s peak season looks different from a contractor’s. The starting questions are the same: what work needs doing, when does demand rise, and when does the extra need end?
Hotels, resorts & hospitality
Temporary housekeeping, food service, and other roles tied to a documented seasonal increase in guests.
Construction & seasonal trades
Additional hands for a qualifying temporary need. A busy project alone does not establish eligibility.
Seafood processing
Processing and packing work that rises with a defined harvest or production season.
Forestry
Temporary planting and forest-management work tied to specific duties, locations, and a defined period.
Recreation & attractions
Seasonal operations at amusement venues, recreation businesses, and other attractions with a temporary need.
Your industry gives us context. Your job duties, dates, and temporary need determine the next questions.
H-2B Visa Requirements for Employers
Before you start gathering forms, start with the job. What will the workers do? Where will they work? And why does your business need extra help for that period?
DOL: employer requirementsA temporary need you can explain
Show why you need additional workers for a defined period. Your job duties, demand, and records need to tell the same story.
Full-time, nonagricultural work
The job must meet the program’s requirements, including at least 35 hours per week. The work location and duties matter, too.
Clear job details and supporting records
Gather the dates, work locations, duties, and records that explain your temporary need. Start with the facts you already have.
Required U.S. recruitment
Follow the Department of Labor’s recruitment instructions and document the results. Qualified, available U.S. applicants must be considered under the program’s rules.
Required wages and employer responsibilities
Plan for the required wage, applicable reimbursements, employment terms, and recordkeeping. Those obligations continue after the paperwork is filed.
This checklist helps you prepare for a review. It does not determine eligibility or guarantee approval.
How Much Does It Cost
to Hire H-2B Workers?
Start with two budgets. One to prepare the case and bring workers here. Another to employ them through the season.
A quote is only useful when you know what it includes.
Application & filing work
Administrative services, government charges, and any additional filings your case requires. Ask which charges cover the case and which apply to each worker.
Recruitment & worker processing
Worker sourcing, documents, and consular coordination where included. A proposal should say what is handled and what is charged separately.
Travel & arrival
Applicable transportation, subsistence, and arrival expenses. Routes, arrangements, and reimbursement rules affect the budget.
Employment through the season
Wages, payroll expenses, and applicable housing or transportation arrangements. Filing fees do not represent the cost of employing a crew.
What your written estimate should show
Worker count matters. So do the job requirements, employer circumstances, and services you need. Some charges apply to the case; others apply to each person.
- Included services and excluded expenses
- Case-level and per-worker charges
- Payment stages and pricing assumptions
- Responsibility for additional expenses
Request My Employer Review
Employer obligations include applicable visa and travel costs. Prohibited fees cannot be shifted to workers.
DOL: travel and visa expensesHow to Hire H-2B Workers
The work moves through several agencies.
You should still know what happens next.
Review your business and temporary need
We start with the work, locations, dates, worker count, and supporting records. That gives the review something useful to work with.
Prepare the Department of Labor process
Coordinate the wage determination, job order, labor certification application, and required U.S. recruitment. Keep the details consistent throughout.
Prepare the USCIS petition
Following the applicable labor certification process, organize the employer’s petition and supporting documents for USCIS review.
Coordinate workers and arrival planning
Support applicable worker processing and arrival arrangements as approvals allow, then help organize the employer’s onboarding and recordkeeping responsibilities.
Plan months ahead. Preparation, filing windows, government review, visa availability, and worker processing all affect the path. Share your dates early so there is time to review them.
DOL: program processH-2B Application and
Recruitment Support
You run the business. We keep the application work organized: the job details, documents, deadlines, and next step.
What we coordinate
- An employer preparation checklist
- Filing and document coordination
- Recruitment records and worker processing
- Case updates and next-step guidance
- Arrival and employer-record checklists, where included
What your business provides
- Accurate job details and supporting records
- Employer review, decisions, and signatures
- Required hiring and recruitment decisions
- Applicable payments and reimbursements
- Ongoing employment and recordkeeping compliance
H2BWorkers is operated by First Crew H2B. Our service is administrative coordination. The written agreement defines the work included. We are not a law firm and cannot control government decisions.
Talk through your seasonal hiring needsH-2B Hiring Questions from Employers
You’ve probably got a few.
Here’s a useful place to start.
Can a small business hire H-2B workers?
A small business can pursue H-2B hiring if its jobs and temporary need meet the applicable requirements. Employer size alone does not answer the question. Start with the work you need done, where it will happen, and the period you need help.
Official program guidanceHow far ahead should I start the H-2B process?
Plan months ahead of your intended start date. Preparation begins before the formal filing stages, and government review, visa availability, consular appointments, and travel can affect the path. Share your dates early so the next steps can be reviewed. No completion or arrival date is guaranteed.
Official program guidanceHow can my business hire workers from Mexico or other countries?
Begin by reviewing whether your business has a qualifying temporary job need. H-2B hiring involves the employer’s filings and the applicable worker and visa-processing steps. A worker’s nationality does not establish your business’s eligibility, and finding candidates does not replace the required approvals.
Official program guidanceDo I have to recruit U.S. workers first?
Yes. The H-2B process includes required U.S. recruitment. Employers must follow the Department of Labor’s instructions, keep applicant records, and meet their obligations toward qualified, available U.S. applicants. Foreign-worker sourcing is a separate part of the work.
Official program guidanceCan I pay H-2B workers less than local workers?
The offered wage must meet the applicable H-2B wage requirements. That includes the highest applicable prevailing wage or federal, state, or local minimum wage. Budget from the required rate for the job and location, together with the other employment costs.
Official program guidanceAre H-2B visas or worker arrivals guaranteed?
No. Government decisions, visa availability, individual circumstances, and processing can affect the outcome. Administrative support helps organize the work; it cannot guarantee certification, petition approval, a visa, admission, or a worker’s arrival.
Official program guidanceRequest an H-2B
Employer Review
Tell us what your business does and how many extra hands you’re planning for. You don’t need to arrive with a stack of forms.
We’ll review your information and follow up about the next steps.
Free initial review
No commitment
A conversation about your business