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) reminded employers and other interested stakeholders that the three-day filing window to submit an H-2B Application for Temporary Employment Certification (Form ETA-9142B and appendices) requesting a work start date of October 1, 2023, will open on July 3, 2023, at 12 a.m. ET and close on July 5, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET. October 1, 2023, is the first day of the semiannual visa allotment for the first half of fiscal year 2024. Applications will be denied if they are filed before July 3.
OFLC said that after the three-day filing window has closed, the agency will randomly order applications for assignment to analysts for review and processing. OFLC provided filing tips:
- Only one application per job opportunity should be filed to prevent duplicate filings and delayed processing.
- If "yes" is selected for "Board, Lodging, or Other Facilities" under section F.d.5, Form ETA-9142B, and deductions other than those required by law may be made from the worker's pay, details should be included about the deductions and amounts to cover the reasonable cost of board, lodging, and other facilities in section F.d.6.
- The employer must submit with its application a copy of the job order being submitted concurrently to the State Workforce Agency (SWA) serving the area of intended employment. The job order submitted must be a copy of the actual job order or a completed job order form used by the SWA for posting in its job clearance systems.
- Original signatures and dates on Appendix B must be current.
