United States | H-2B visa processing times as of Oct. 15

Applications for requested need date for second half of fiscal year (FY) 2026 visa cap (Jan. 1–Sept. 30, 2026): The Department of Labor (DOL) reported that, as of Oct. 15, 2026, a total of 10,474 cases were issued final decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 143,888 workers.

H-2B prevailing wage determination (PWD) processing times were last updated Sept. 30: As of Sept. 30, 2026, the National Prevailing Wage Center is processing PWD requests filed in August 2026 and earlier for H-2B Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) cases. No PWD filing update was made available for Non-OEWS cases at this time. Center directors are currently reviewing PWD applications from June 2026.

OEWS and Non-OEWS are the sources used for determining the prevailing wage for a job. Non-OEWS refers to other sources used for prevailing wage determinations, such as collective bargaining agreements or private wage surveys.

DOL has almost completed the processing of remaining requests for H-2B visa PWD applications from July. The number of remaining requests for H-2B visa PWD applications received in August 2026 is 548 and in September 2026 is 3,975.

DOL guidance on H-2B processing times: 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 PWD for the H-2B program at least 60 days before the date the determination is needed.

OFLC may be completing the processing of applications filed prior to the month posted for various reasons. Withdrawn and voided requests are excluded from the total, which may cause the numbers for previous months to fluctuate.

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

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