H-2b Processing Change for 2018

The Department of Labor has announced a change in H-2B processing in 2018. According to the United States Department of Labor, the processing change is intended to “assure fairness regarding the issuance of H-2B temporary labor certifications due to the unprecedented volume of applications received on January 1, 2018.”

Why The Processing Change?

On January 1, 2017, there were 1,538 applications covering approximately 26,673 worker positions for a work start of April 1, 2017. By contrast, on January 1, 2018 there were approximately 4,498 applications covering 81,008 worker positions requesting an April 1, 2018 start date of work.

How to Process Application

The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) oversees the application process for H-2B temporary labor certification applications. The OFLC process for obtaining an H-2B certification is a two-step process for employers:

1. Employers must first file a complete and accurate “Application for Temporary Employment Certification (ETA Form 9142B).
2. Following review and acceptance from OFLC, the employer must then conduct recruitment of U.S. workers and file a recruitment report.

The Department then reviews those reports and issues final labor certification decisions to employers who comply with all regulatory requirements as they are returned to OFLC by employers. Employers granted temporary labor certification are then eligible to file a petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the DHS.

H-2B Application Details

To view details of the H2-B processing change, visit this page:

This site also offers other helpful resources such as: links to H-2B Foreign Labor Recruiter Lists, H-2B FAQ’s, 2018 Q1 Disclosure Data, and many more helpful links and resources related to H-2B recruiting and hiring.