H-1B and H-2B USCIS Updates. Approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. The spouse and children of H-2B workers classified as H-4 nonimmigrants also do not count against this cap. USCIS is currently accepting petitions for employment start dates of Oct. 1, 2023 through Mar. 31, 2024.  Such petitions will be subject to the first half of the FY 2024 H-2B cap. The H-2B nonimmigrant program permits employers to temporarily hire nonimmigrants to perform nonagricultural labor or services in the United States. The H-2B program also establishes certain recruitment and displacement standards in order to protect similarly employed U.S. workers.