Federal Agencies, Agency Memos & Announcements

OFLC Publishes List of Randomized H-2Bs Requesting an April 1, 2023, Start Date

1/9/23 AILA Doc. No. 23010401. Business Immigration, H-2B Temporary Worker

DOL posted the following announcements on its website:

January 9, 2023. OFLC Publishes List of Randomized H-2B Applications Submitted January 1-3 for Employers Seeking H-2B Workers Starting April 1, 2023.

To keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of H-2B applications for review, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) published the assignment group(s) for 8,693 H-2B applications covering 142,796 worker positions with the start date of work of April 1, 2023.

Following the randomization procedures published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2019, OFLC completed the randomization process on January 4 and assigned to National Processing Center analysts all H-2B applications placed in Assignment Group A for issuance of Notices of Deficiency or Acceptance. Group A includes enough worker positions to reach the H-2B semi-annual visa allotment of 33,000. Six additional Assignment Groups were created for the remaining applications, each of which includes no more than 20,000 worker positions.

On January 4, 2023, OFLC provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the Assignment Group for their application(s).

View the Assignment Groups for H-2B Applications Submitted January 1-3, 2023


January 4, 2023. OFLC Conducts Randomization Process on H-2B Applications Submitted Requesting an April 1, 2023, Work Start Date

The Office of Foreign Labor Certification has completed the randomization process to randomly assign all H-2B applications submitted during the initial three-day filing window, January 1-3, 2023, requesting an April 1, 2023, work start date for the second half of the Fiscal Year 2023 H-2B statutory visa cap.

OFLC received a total of 8,693 H-2B applications requesting 142,796 worker positions during this filing period.

OFLC will be providing written notification to employers (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) with their H-2B Assignment Group. On January 9, 2023, OFLC will also publish on its website the list of the H-2B applications assigned to each Assignment Group.


JANUARY 3, 2023. OFLC ANNOUNCES NUMBER OF H-2B APPLICATIONS FILED IN THE FOREIGN LABOR APPLICATION GATEWAY SYSTEM DURING FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE PEAK FILING SEASON.

During the first two days of the H-2B peak filing season, employers filed 7,503 applications in the Foreign Labor Application Gateway System requesting more than 123,791 worker positions with an April 1, 2023, or later, work start date.


JANUARY 2, 2023. OFLC ANNOUNCES NUMBER OF H-2B APPLICATIONS FILED IN THE FOREIGN LABOR APPLICATION GATEWAY SYSTEM DURING FIRST 24 HOURS OF THE PEAK FILING SEASON.

During the first 24 hours of the H-2B peak filing season, employers filed 6,105 applications in the Foreign Labor Application Gateway System requesting more than 105,207 worker positions with an April 1, 2023, or later work start date.

The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) will continue to accept H-2B applications during the three-day filing window, and plans to randomize all applications submitted on January 4, 2023. OFLC will use the using the randomization procedures published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2019, to randomize H-2B applications.