United States | H-2B visa processing times as of May 17 and Foreign Labor Recruiter List updates

Update on applications received for requested date of need from Oct. 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025 (fiscal year (FY) 2025 first half of the visa cap):

The Department of Labor (DOL) reported that as of May 17, a total of 5,944 cases were issued Final Decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 111,019 workers.

In April, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reached the additional H-2B visa cap made for returning workers for the early second half of FY 2025 with start dates from April 1 to May 14, 2025.

Update on applications received for requested date of need from April 1, 2025 (FY 2025 second half of the visa cap):

As of May 17, a total of 8,501 cases were issued Final Decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 116,602 workers.

Additional Information: On May 15, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification published an updated Foreign Labor Recruiter List of names for the H-2B program as required by Temporary Employment of Foreign Workers in the United States federal regulations and to help ensure greater transparency the for the H-2B worker recruitment process and facilitate the interagency exchange of information within the U.S. government.

The list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on Appendix C of Form ETA-9142B that were hired by, planning to engage or work on behalf of employers in the recruitment of prospective H-2B workers to perform the work described on their H-2B application and includes only those names and locations associated with H-2B applications that were processed or issued a Final Decision from Oct. 1, 2023, through March 31, 2025.

The H-2B Foreign Labor Recruiter List for Q2 FY 2025 can be downloaded here.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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