By Marcelle Dibrell

On September 16, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap for H-2B temporary non-agricultural visas for the first half of fiscal year 2026.

According to the Pool and Hot Tub alliance, the announcement could be bad news for pool industry employers who did not submit their applications by the cutoff date.

“As PHTA members rely on the H-2B program to fill seasonal roles, this could result in seasonal worker shortages in early 2026 for those who didn't file in time,” PHTA states in its September Government Relations Newsletter.

The H2-B program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary jobs when they cannot find enough local labor. By law, only 66,000 visas are available each fiscal year, split evenly: 33,000 for jobs starting October–March, and 33,000 for April–September. The September 12 cutoff was the final receipt date for petitions requesting employment before April 1, 2026.

For pool and spa businesses, this development carries weight.

https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2b-temporary-non-agricultural-workers

1952: The original H-2 program was established to allow U.S. businesses to hire temporary foreign workers for non-agricultural labor. Seasonal demand for labor is a constant challenge, and the H-2B program provides relief.

According to a 2022 Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) member survey, 63 percent of respondents cited finding qualified employees as a top concern. In recent years, widespread labor shortages have disrupted pool openings, slowed construction schedules, and reduced capacity for maintenance services.

While precise numbers for the pool and spa sector are difficult to determine, it is estimated that several thousand H-2B workers are employed annually in pool construction, service, and related trades.

That’s because the pool and spa industry is not isolated as a category within the H2-B program; however, construction and landscaping are two of its largest user categories — and both are areas that include many PHTA members. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in fiscal year 2022, landscaping and groundskeeping accounted for 37 percent of certified H-2B positions, while construction laborers made up 3 percent.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals calls landscaping “the largest user of the H-2B program by a significant margin.” The National Association of Home Builders likewise reports that some members rely on guest worker programs after exhausting local labor options.

Pools fall into both categories: construction firms that build or renovate pools, and landscaping companies that integrate pools into broader projects. An unknown number of H-2B workers are tied directly to the pool/spa and aquatics sector each year, supporting anywhere from hundreds to thousands of firms nationwide.

The business impact of securing — or losing — access to H-2B workers is measurable. A Congressional Research Service report found that employers who received H-2B workers through the 2020 lottery generated 6 percent more revenue and increased payroll by 24 percent compared to those without access. For pool and spa firms, that can translate into higher productivity, the ability to take on more projects, and a more stable year-round workforce.

Seasonal visa shortages, however, can mean reduced capacity during peak demand. For pool service firms, this could lead to delayed openings in spring, longer waits for maintenance calls, or lost business to competitors. For construction firms, labor shortages may stall new pool projects at the height of consumer interest.

The H-2B program is consistently oversubscribed, with demand far outpacing the 66,000 annual cap. Congress and the Department of Homeland Security have often authorized supplemental visas, but these additions vary year to year, creating uncertainty for employers. Landscaping and construction will continue to be dominant users, but the pool and spa industry — where projects and service windows are highly seasonal — remains among the trades most sensitive to H-2B fluctuations.

As the fiscal year 2026 first-half cap has now been reached, pool and spa employers who missed the September deadline will need to seek alternative staffing arrangements until the second-half allocation opens.

For an industry where labor shortages are already a top concern, the pressure to secure seasonal workers is growing.