DOL announces OFLC Emergency Processing Initiative for Backlogged H-2B Applications

The U.S. Department of Labor's ("DOL") Employment and Training Administration's Office of Foreign Labor Certification ("OFLC") is presently experiencing significant delays in processing employers' H-2B temporary labor applications. The H-2B program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary, non-agricultural jobs. OFLC's adjudication delays are the result of several factors, including a seventeen-day pause at the Chicago National Processing Center earlier this year to enable OFLC to implement changes to the revised H-2B prevailing wage and certification standards. As a result of these delays in the certification process, employers seeking to hire foreign workers to fill temporary, non-agricultural jobs pursuant to the H-2B program are experiencing significant delays. These delays can create instability for a number of small businesses that depend on temporary and seasonal workers. To address the needs of these businesses, DOL is implementing emergency processing initiatives to assist in the alleviation of the applications backlog. For more details on these emergency processing initiatives visit DOL's website.