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.
On October 25, 2022, the Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) issued a set of frequently asked questions, “Round 2: Job Order Filing and Processing,” associated with the publication of the final rule, Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in the United States.
The FAQ notes:
- Employers and their authorized attorneys or agents must submit H-2A job orders (H-2A Agricultural Clearance Order, Form ETA-790/790A) using the electronic method designated by the OFLC Administrator, unless a specific exemption applies. Currently, the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) System is the OFLC Administrator’s designated electronic filing method, the FAQ states. Only employers that the OFLC Administrator authorizes to file by mail due to lack of internet access or authorizes to file using a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, would be permitted to file using those other means.
- How-to content, including videos posted on YouTube, is available in the “Support” area of the FLAG homepage to guide users through such system features as creating an account, logging in, and creating and joining a network. In joint-employer situations, the FAQ states, only one job order should be submitted for the job opportunity, with each employer identified in the job order, as explained in the Form ETA-790A General Instructions.
- Employers and their authorized attorneys or agents must submit completed job orders (i.e., Forms ETA-790 and ETA-790A) to the National Processing Center no more than 75 calendar days and no fewer than 60 calendar days before the employer’s first date of need, except in emergency situations that satisfy certain criteria.
The FAQ also includes details on signatures, timeframes, housing inspections, wage rates, collective bargaining, State Workforce Agency processing and withdrawal requests.
