(DOOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN) – Door County businesses entered peak tourism season short-staffed as H-2B visa delays and cap limitations left hospitality operators without the seasonal workers they need.

Federal authorities nearly doubled the available visa pool for FY 2026, but demand outpaced supply and processing backlogs worsened compared to prior years.

The peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan depends on seasonal labor for hospitality, tourism, and landscaping.

The local unemployment rate runs low year-round, and the resident workforce cannot cover the summer surge in visitor traffic between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

DHS and DOL jointly issued a temporary final rule on January 30, 2026, authorizing up to 64,716 additional H-2B visas for FY 2026.

The rule restricted supplemental visas to employers attesting to “irreparable harm or impending irreparable harm” without the ability to employ all requested H-2B workers.

USCIS published the accompanying alert on May 15, 2026.

The standard statutory H-2B cap remains 66,000 visas annually, split into two 33,000 allocations per fiscal half-year.

With supplemental additions, total FY 2026 availability reached approximately 130,716 visas, nearly double the standard allocation.

USCIS announced on March 20, 2026 that the second-half FY 2026 cap was reached on March 10.

The second supplemental allocation of 27,736 returning-worker visas, covering start dates between April 1 and April 30, was exhausted by April 21.

USCIS confirmed that milestone on April 29.

On June 18, 2026, USCIS issued an alert on English language proficiency requirements for H-2B workers operating commercial vehicles.

The guidance reflected a new executive mandate for stricter vetting of seasonal workers in transportation and logistics roles.

The supplemental visas divided into three tranches.

The first 18,490 visas covered returning workers with start dates from October 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026.

The second tranche of 27,736 visas covered returning workers starting between April 1 and April 30.

The third allocation of 18,490 visas was open to both new and returning workers with start dates from May 1 through September 30, 2026.

Most supplemental visas were reserved for returning workers, defined as those who held H-2B status during FY 2023, FY 2024, or FY 2025.

That priority structure left first-time H-2B applicants with limited access to the supplemental pool.

The third tranche represented the only window for non-returning applicants, and those visas were available on a first-come, first-served basis.

⚠️ Employer Alert: Supplemental H-2B visas require attestation of irreparable harm on a new DHS form. Missing or incomplete attestations result in automatic denial of the supplemental petition.

The attestation requires employers to certify that their business is suffering or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the requested H-2B workers.

Employers submit the attestation on a new form created specifically for the supplemental visa program.

USCIS has not published specific financial thresholds for what constitutes irreparable harm, leaving employers to document losses case by case.

Door County’s economy is built on seasonal hospitality.

Restaurants, hotels, and landscaping companies rely on returning workers who arrive on H-2B visas each spring and depart in the fall.

When those workers cannot secure visas, businesses lose experienced staff trained in prior seasons and cannot replace them from the local labor pool.

Federal policy in 2026 has moved in divergent directions.

DHS announced expanded H-2A agricultural access on June 18, 2026, including new provisions for dairy farms.

H-2B non-agricultural visas remained under strict attestation requirements.

The draft FY 2027 DHS Funding Bill, introduced June 5, 2026, includes “Certified Seasonal Employer” language that could create permanent cap relief for consistent seasonal users like those in Door County.

⏰ Deadline: The third supplemental allocation of 18,490 visas for new and returning workers covers start dates through September 30, 2026. Demand in this tranche has been high, and exhaustion is possible before the end of the fiscal year.

Al Johnson’s, the Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay known for its grass-covered roof, described the visa shortage as “literally crippling.”

Salute Mexican Lounge and Main Street Market reported “excruciating” delays in visa processing.

Several businesses closed on Mondays and Tuesdays or reduced service hours during peak tourism weeks.

Kim Jensen, owner of four Egg Harbor businesses, said closing a single restaurant for one day can result in losses of up to $50,000 per month.

Managers at multiple establishments scaled back menus and service offerings because they lacked staffing to maintain normal operations.

Immigration attorneys in the region report that visa processing in 2026 has been slower than in previous years, despite the increase in supplemental visa numbers.

The gap between visa availability and processing capacity widened, leaving approved petitions without timely consular processing.

Employers with approved petitions waited weeks or months for workers to receive consular interviews and clear background checks.

💼 Worker Tip: H-2B workers assigned to commercial vehicle operation must meet new English proficiency standards under the June 18, 2026 executive mandate. Confirm requirements with the petitioning employer before traveling to the consulate.

Workers who did not secure supplemental H-2B visas have limited alternatives mid-season.

The H-2A agricultural visa program, which has no annual cap, expanded access for dairy workers on June 18, 2026.

H-2A visas cover only agricultural positions, so hospitality and landscaping workers do not qualify.

No other temporary visa category covers seasonal non-agricultural work at scale.

Employers should file H-2B petitions as early as the filing window allows and maintain documentation of irreparable harm, including revenue figures, cancellation records, and evidence of failed domestic recruitment.

Tracking returning-worker eligibility helps prioritize applicants in the supplemental pool.

Workers should verify that job duties match the labor certification and confirm English proficiency requirements if assigned to commercial vehicle operation.

The FY 2027 H-2B cap season follows the standard timeline, with first-half filings opening in January 2027.

Employers seeking the Certified Seasonal Employer designation should monitor the FY 2027 DHS Funding Bill as it advances through congressional markup.

The Federal Register notice for the FY 2026 supplemental rule remains the governing document until new rulemaking occurs.

📋 Official Resources:
– H-1B Program: uscis.gov/h-1b-specialty-occupations
– Cap Season: uscis.gov/h-1b-cap-season
– Prevailing Wages: flcdatacenter.com