United States | H-2B visa processing times as of Dec. 6

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

The Department of Labor reported that as of Dec. 6, a total of 8,947 cases were issued Final Decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 120,553 workers.

Update on applications received for requested date of need from Oct. 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026:

DOL reported that as of Nov. 29, a total of 3,876 cases were issued Final Decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 73,234 workers.

H-2B Prevailing Wage Determination (PWD) processing times:

As of Dec. 1, the number of remaining requests for H-2B visa PWD applications received in November were 4,054. The number of remaining requests for September was 34 and for October was 32. The disparity between September, October and November reflects the impact of the government shutdown.

These dates reflect the month and year in which applications were filed (request date) or submission date of the appeal request for Redeterminations or Center Director Review. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) encourages employers to request a prevailing wage determination for the H-2B program at least 60 days before the date the determination is needed. For various reasons, OFLC may be completing the processing of applications filed prior to the month posted. Withdrawn and voided requests are excluded from the total, which may cause the numbers for previous months to fluctuate.

Learn more about H-2B visas here.

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

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