Jan252027
SEA Event
SEA 2027 Labor Forum
January 25–28, 2027
Key Largo, Florida
The annual forum covering the political and regulatory landscape, cap projections, and program processing.
Hosted by Seasonal Employment Alliance
H-2B Leadership Council
Reward compliance. Protect American seasonal businesses. Preserve legal pathways.
The H-2B Leadership Council unites trade associations who have a shared interest in strengthening and protecting the H-2B program.
Organizations Working Together for a Stronger H-2B Program
Who We Are
A Unified Voice for H-2B Stakeholders
American seasonal businesses plan their year around a few predictable months of demand. When workforce policy shifts without warning, those businesses carry the cost — cancelled contracts, shortened seasons, and lost work for the year-round employees who depend on them.
The H-2B Leadership Council exists so that employers and the organizations that represent them can speak with a united voice: about how it benefits American workers, contributes to local economies, and what practical reforms would serve both America’s seasonal businesses and their American workers.
Guiding Principles
Four commitments that shape every position we take
Prioritizing current users of the H-2B program
Seasonal employers who rely on the program today should remain the first priority when considering any H-2B policies, processing reforms, or allocations.
Securing certainty for long-time, compliant users via the Certified Seasonal Employer (CSE) Designation
Employers with a sustained record of lawful participation should be able to plan their season without depending on a lottery outcome.
Preventing H-2B from inclusion in the larger immigration debate
H-2B is a temporary, seasonal workforce program. It deserves to be considered on its own operational and economic merits.
Commitment to strengthening the integrity of the H-2B program
A durable program depends on accurate filings, honest recruitment, fair treatment of workers, and consistent enforcement.
Industries Represented
The seasonal sectors our member organizations serve
Council organizations represent employers across seven broad seasonal sectors. Each links through to the current program data for that category.
Landscaping & groundskeepingCommercial and residential grounds crews whose work volume rises and falls with the growing season.Current Program Users
Hospitality & tourismResorts, hotels, restaurants, and attractions that staff up for a defined visitor season each year.Current Program Users
Golf & country clubsCourse maintenance and club operations teams that carry a much larger crew during playing season.Current Program Users
Amusement & fairs / carnival & outdoor amusementTraveling and seasonal entertainment operators whose entire calendar runs within a few months.Current Program Users
Seafood & seasonal processingShore-side processing and packing operations tied to short, weather-dependent harvest windows.Current Program Users
ForestryReforestation and timber-stand crews whose work follows seasonal planting and growing cycles.Current Program Users
EquineHorse care and stable operations that need additional hands during the racing season.Current Program Users
Long-Term Program Reform
What Is a Certified Seasonal Employer?
A proposed designation that would give qualifying long-time H-2B employers greater certainty about the workforce they can count on each season — instead of depending on the outcome of a lottery.
Proposed reform — illustration
- 1Five consecutive years in the programAn employer participates lawfully in H-2B for at least five consecutive years.
- 2CSE designationThat employer is designated a Certified Seasonal Employer.
- 3Allocation outside the annual capEligibility for up to the highest number of H-2B workers approved during the applicable five-year period, outside the annual cap.
CSE is a proposed reform. It is not an available government program, and nothing on this page should be read as a description of current law or agency policy.
Data & Impact
Who uses the H-2B program today
Figures below are computed from the most recent public disclosure file published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification.
232,434
Certified worker positions
8,806
Participating employers
53
States and territories represented
8
Industry categories represented
Where the work happens
Certified worksites appear in every region of the country, clustered around coastal resort seasons, golf and grounds work, forestry, and seasonal processing. Markers are placed at a city or ZIP code centroid — never at a private street address.
Explore Current H-2B Program UsersProgram Demand
Certification, approval, and issuance are not the same thing
Demand for certified seasonal positions has grown faster than the visas actually issued. The three series below track separate stages of the process.
Overall H-2B Program Demand
FY2019–FY2026 Certifications, USCIS Approvals, and Visa Issuances
Source: client-supplied program demand summary compiled from U.S. Department of Labor certification data, USCIS petition approval data, and U.S. Department of State visa issuance data.
Certification, petition approval, and visa issuance are three distinct stages of the H-2B process. A certified position is not a guaranteed worker, and these series should not be presented as interchangeable measures of the same thing. FY2026 approval and issuance figures are not yet available and are shown as gaps rather than zeros.
Last updated 2026-09-20.
Upcoming Events
Where members meet, plan, and prepare
Events are listed nearest first. Past events move to the archive automatically.
Membership
Bring Greater Certainty to the H-2B Program
Join employers and industry organizations working together to strengthen the program, coordinate advocacy, share reliable information, and support practical program solutions.