This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh, Fredrikson Immigration Department Chair, is a member.
The Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has published the Assignment Groups for 2,157 H-2B applications covering 40,947 worker positions with a work start date of October 1, 2023. OFLC said it completed the randomization process on July 6, 2023, 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 semiannual visa allotment of 33,000.
One additional Assignment Group was created for the remaining applications and associated worker positions. Each filing was randomly given a unique number in accordance with OFLC's randomization process and placed into a group for assignment to analysts for review and processing.
The agency noted that on July 6, 2023, it provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the Assignment Group for their application(s).
