The H-2 Job Calendar: Which Industries Hire in Which Months (2026)

Seasonal work in the US runs on a calendar, and so does hiring for it. Employers file paperwork months before jobs begin, which means the right time to be visible to an employer is often half a year before you would actually fly. This guide maps the main H-2A and H-2B seasons across the year so you can time your search properly.

The master table

Treat the months as approximate: exact start dates shift with weather, crop conditions and each employer's certified job order, sometimes by several weeks in either direction. The job order you sign, not this table, defines your actual dates.

Why the hiring happens earlier than the season

An employer must obtain a labour certification from the Department of Labor and then file a petition with USCIS before you can even book a consular interview. That pipeline typically starts 60 to 120 days before the job's start date, and employers begin recruiting candidates before they file. Practically:

• For a spring landscaping start, employers are choosing workers in autumn and winter.
• For a winter ski season, recruitment happens in late summer.
• For Florida citrus in October, growers organise crews over the summer.

The H-2B cap makes timing sharper

H-2B visas are capped at 66,000 per year, split between the winter half (October starts) and summer half (April starts), and the April window is fiercely oversubscribed, driven by landscaping. Supplemental visas are often released, many reserved for returning workers, but nothing is guaranteed. H-2A has no cap, so agricultural timing is about matching seasons rather than beating a quota. If you are new and flexible, an uncapped H-2A season or a less-pressured H-2B start date improves your odds; our guides to the H-2B program and US work visas cover the mechanics.

Matching the calendar to your goals

Use the table strategically rather than applying everywhere at once.

• Maximum months abroad: target long contracts such as Florida citrus (autumn to early summer), California mixed vegetables, or a full landscaping season, each covering six months or more.
• Short intense season: Alaska salmon, Washington apples or Oregon berries pack the earning into two to four months, which suits workers with farms or families at home.
• Escape your own winter: southern hemisphere workers can pair a US summer season with their home summer work; northern hemisphere workers might prefer Florida citrus or desert vegetables that run through the US winter.
• Two seasons a year: some workers do a winter H-2B ski season and a summer job in separate years or with careful back-to-back contracts, though each new job needs its own petition and time in status counts toward the three-year limit.

Building a repeating year

Experienced H-2 workers often settle into a rhythm: the same Washington orchard every autumn, or a Gulf plant each spring, returning home between contracts. Employers prize returning workers, so a single good season is the real entry ticket to a reliable annual cycle. Remember that nobody legitimate charges you for a job offer, and no one can promise a visa; be wary of anyone selling calendar-perfect "guaranteed" placements.

Finally, keep your own documents on the same calendar: a passport that expires mid-season causes real problems, so renew early, and keep digital copies of every contract and pay stub from each season, since they become your proof of experience when applying to the next employer.

This is general information, not legal advice; check current program rules at uscis.gov and dol.gov.

The best time to become visible to employers is months before your target season. Create your free profile on Workmerica now so employers planning next season can contact you directly. It is free, with no credit card required.