The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has resumed processing applications for both temporary and permanent employment programmes, according to the US Department of Labor (DOL). The move comes after a month-long suspension caused by the recent federal government shutdown.
The Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) portal and SeasonalJobs.dol.gov website, which are collectively very vital for employers dependent on foreign workers, is now fully operational. They had been offline since around September 30, disrupting services for employers across sectors such as technology, healthcare and manufacturing.
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With the systems back online, employers can now submit new Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for H-1B visas, which are used to hire skilled professionals in speciality occupations, and track the status of pending applications.
In a statement posted on October 31, the DOL said, “The Office of Foreign Labor Certification’s (OFLC) Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system is now accessible and permits system users to prepare and submit new applications as well as submit and receive information associated with their applications pending a final determination. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience as OFLC transitions back to full operational status.”
Relief for skilled workers and companies
The restart also covers Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) labor certifications which is the initial step for Green Card sponsorships through permanent employment. The PERM and LCA processes are designed to safeguard US workers’ wages and working conditions while allowing employers to hire foreign talent when no qualified American workers are available.
The OFLC oversees certification processes under several visa programmes, including H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM, all of which rely on the FLAG portal for document filing and case tracking.
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The shutdown hit Indian professionals particularly hard as nearly 70% of the total H-1B visa holders are from India. With the visa expiration dates coming close, thousands of cases, including prevailing wage determinations, LCAs, and PERM applications, were stalled, leaving many workers tense regarding their immigration status.
According to immigration experts, the suspension underscored the vulnerability of the whole H-1B process, which remains crucial to the US tech and healthcare workers.
