(See DOL processing times, and check your current case status at DOL)
Below 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. For various reasons, Office of the Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) of the U.S. Department of Labor may be completing the processing of applications filed prior to the month posted.
Prevailing Wage Determination Processing Times (as of 10/31/2023)
Processing Queue | OEWS Receipt Datei | NonSe-OEWS Receipt Datei |
CW-1 | September 2023 | - |
H-1B | March 2023 | March 2023 |
H-2B | September 2023 | September 2023 |
PERM | March 2023 | February 2023 |
Redeterminations | H-1B: June 2023 PERM: April 2023 | |
Center Director Reviews | CW-1: None Pending H-1B: June 2023 H-2B: May 2023 PERM: June 2023 |
CW-1 | |||
Receipt Monthii | Requests Received | Determinations Issuediii | Average Calendar Days to Processiv |
August 2023 | 253 | 252 | 38 |
September 2023 | 195 | 156 | 38 |
October 2023 | 142 | 0 |
H-1B | ||||
Receipt Monthii | Requests Received | Determinations Issuediii | Average Calendar Days to Processiv | |
December 2022 | 291 | 290 | 174 | |
January 2023 | 448 | 447 | 165 | |
February 2023 | 318 | 313 | 174 | |
March 2023 | 464 | 426 | 179 | |
April 2023 | 304 | 165 | 179 | |
May 2023 | 342 | 43 | 161 | |
June 2023 | 322 | 0 | ||
July 2023 | 303 | 0 | ||
August 2023 | 312 | 0 | ||
September 2023 | 255 | 0 | ||
October 2023 | 209 | 0 |
H-2B | |||
Receipt Monthii | Requests Received | Determinations Issuediii | Average Calendar Days to Processiv |
July 2023 | 3,197 | 3,183 | 38 |
August 2023 | 3,114 | 3,051 | 35 |
September 2023 | 3,478 | 2,646 | 35 |
October 2023 | 3,206 | 0 |
PERM | |||
Receipt Monthii | Requests Received | Determinations Issuediii | Average Calendar Days to Processiv |
August 2022 | 17,907 | 17,906 | 201 |
September 2022 | 16,657 | 16,645 | 195 |
October 2022 | 16,144 | 16,133 | 190 |
November 2022 | 15,291 | 15,286 | 185 |
December 2022 | 15,400 | 15,390 | 178 |
January 2023 | 17,929 | 17,899 | 176 |
February 2023 | 18,554 | 18,386 | 179 |
March 2023 | 22,019 | 20,800 | 184 |
April 2023 | 17,396 | 13,511 | 180 |
May 2023 | 19,187 | 4,110 | 173 |
June 2023 | 19,128 | 0 | |
July 2023 | 15,471 | 0 | |
August 2023 | 16,712 | 0 | |
September 2023 | 16,789 | 0 | |
October 2023 | 13,929 | 0 |
ii Withdrawn and voided requests are excluded from the total, which may cause the numbers for previous months to fluctuate.
iii Determinations issued does not include requests for Redetermination or Center Director Reviews.
iv These processing times indicate the average processing time for all prevailing wage applications received in a specific month. The processing time for each request may vary from the average depending on the material facts and individual circumstances of the case.
PERM Processing Times (as of 10/31/2023) | |
Processing Queue | Priority Date |
Analyst Review | December 2022 |
Audit Review | July 2022 |
Reconsideration Request to the CO | January 2023 |
These dates reflect the month and year in which cases were filed and are currently being adjudicated. The Reconsideration Request to the CO date reflects the month and year in which cases that are currently being reviewed were appealed. For various reasons, OFLC may be completing the processing of applications filed prior to the month posted. If your application was filed more than three months prior to the month posted, you may contact the OFLC PERM Helpdesk for a status on the application at plc.atlanta@dol.gov.
Average Number of Days to Process PERM Applications | ||
Determinations | Month | Calendar Days |
Analyst Review | October 2023 | 338 |
Audit Review | October 2023 | 255 |
These dates reflect the amount of time to process applications. Actual processing times for each employer’s PERM application may vary from the average depending on material facts and individual circumstances of the case. OFLC is reporting the average processing time for all PERM applications for the most recent month.
H-2A Processing Times (updated as of close of business 11/11/2023)
I. Issuance of Initial Notices of Acceptance (NOA) or Deficiency (NOD) | |||
Case Receipt Week | Total Cases Submitted1 | Total Cases Issued First NOA or NOD | Percent Receipt Week Issued NOA or NOD |
MOST RECENT WEEK COMPLETED | |||
Oct 29 - Nov 4 | 277 | 277 | 100% |
CURRENT PROCESSING STATUS | |||
Nov 5 - 11 | 358 | 157 | 44% |
II. Average Case Processing Times (measured in calendar days) | ||
Processing Activity | Total Cases | Current Status |
Average Number of Days to Process Complete2 Cases (cumulative over the last 2 weeks) | 306 | 23 Calendar Days |
Average Number of Days to Process Incomplete Cases (cumulative over the last 2 weeks) | 124 | 35 Calendar Days |
[1] Withdrawn and rejected applications are excluded from the total, which may cause these numbers to fluctuate.
[2] A complete H-2A application is defined as one containing all the documentation (e.g., housing inspection report, workers' compensation information, recruitment report) necessary for the OFLC Certifying Officer to issue a final determination 30 days before the start date of need.
H-2B Processing Times (updated as of close of business 11/14/2023)
Applications Received for Requested Date of Need from Apr 1, 2023 through Sep 30, 2023 | |||||
STEP 1 | STEP 2 | STEP 3 | STEP 4 | ||
Filing Window | Total Cases Submitted3 & Positions Requested | Total Cases Issued NOA or NOD | Percent Issued a First NOA or NOD | Total Cases Pending - Post NOA or NOD Issued4 | Total Cases Issued Final Decision & Positions Certified |
Jan 2023 | 7,883 (126,040 Workers) | 7,883 | 100% | -- | 7,883 (116,829 Workers) |
Feb 2023 | 813 (12,132 Workers) | 813 | 100% | -- | 813 (9,876 Workers) |
Mar 2023 | 260 (4,357 Workers) | 260 | 100% | -- | 260 (3,324 Workers) |
Apr 2023 | 110 (1,534 Workers) | 110 | 100% | -- | 110 (947 Workers) |
May 2023 | 100 (1,060 Workers) | 100 | 100% | -- | 100 (542 Workers)) |
Jun 2023 | 63 (667 Workers) | 63 | 100% | 1 (8 Workers) | 62 (268 Workers) |
Jul 2023 | 18 (174 Workers) | 18 | 100% | -- | 18 (135 Workers) |
Total Cases Issued Final Decision and Positions Certified (for FY 2023 Second Half Visa Cap) | 9,246 (131,921 Workers) |
Applications Received for Requested Date of Need from Oct 1, 2023 through Mar 31, 2024 | |||||
STEP 1 | STEP 2 | STEP 3 | STEP 4 | ||
Filing Window | Total Cases Submitted3 & Positions Requested | Total Cases Issued NOA or NOD | Percent Issued a First NOA or NOD | Total Cases Pending - Post NOA or NOD Issued4 | Total Cases Issued Final Decision & Positions Certified |
Jul 3-5 Group A | 1,786 (33,843 Workers) | 1,786 | 100% | 40 (1,558 Workers) | 1,746 (28,841 Workers) |
Jul 3-5 Group B | 257 (5,582 Workers) | 257 | 100.0% | 7 (139 Workers) | 250 (4,791 Workers) |
Jul 3-55 | 9 (191 Workers) | 9 | 100% | -- | 9 (191 Workers) |
Jul 6-8 | 105 (2,185 Workers) | 105 | 100% | 3 (70 Workers) | 111 (2,206 Workers) |
Jul 9-15 | 186 (3,582 Workers) | 186 | 100% | 2 (307 Workers) | 184 (2,696 Workers) |
Jul 16-22 | 207 (4,315 Workers) | 207 | 100% | 7 (115 Workers) | 200 (3,662 Workers) |
Jul 23-29 | 77 (1,955 Workers) | 77 | 100% | 3 (134 Workers) | 74 (1,615 Workers) |
Jul 30 - Aug 5 | 251 (4,260 Workers) | 251 | 100% | 2 (14 Workers) | 249 (3,598 Workers) |
Aug 6-12 | 62 (1,296 Workers) | 62 | 100% | 5 (43 Workers) | 57 (949 Workers) |
Aug 13-19 | 148 (3,114 Workers) | 148 | 100% | -- | 148 (2,725 Workers) |
Aug 20-26 | 64 (987 Workers) | 64 | 100% | 6 (120 Workers) | 58 (830 Workers) |
Aug 27 - Sep 2 | 92 (1,449 Workers) | 92 | 100% | 17 (247 Workers) | 75 (1,158 Workers) |
Sep 3-9 | 80 (2,093 Workers) | 80 | 100% | 23 (588 Workers) | 57 (1,500 Workers) |
Sep 10-16 | 43 (731 Workers) | 43 | 100% | 12 (118 Workers) | 31 (613 Workers) |
Sep 17-23 | 50 (1,255 Workers) | 50 | 100% | 30 (591 Workers) | 20 (652 Workers) |
Sep 24-30 | 32 (696 Workers | 32 | 100% | 16 (270 Workers) | 16 (425 Workers) |
Oct 1-7 | 141 (5,539 Workers) | 141 | 100% | 95 (3,077 Workers) | 46 (2,413 Workers) |
Oct 8-14 | 52 (1,429 Workers) | 52 | 100% | 50 (1,402 Workers) | -- |
Oct 15-21 | 74 (2,943 Workers) | 74 | 100% | 74 (2,943 Workers) | -- |
Oct 22-28 | 41 (880 Workers) | 41 | 100% | 41 (880 Workers) | -- |
Oct 29 - Nov 4 | 214 (5,127 Workers) | 213 | 99.5% | 213 (5,097 Workers) | -- |
Nov 5 - 11 | 51 (1,143 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Total Cases Issued Final Decision and Positions Certified (for FY 2024 First Half Visa Cap) | 3,333 (58,865 Workers) |
[3] Withdrawn and rejected applications are excluded from the total, which may cause these numbers to fluctuate.
[4] Total number of pending applications that received a NOA and are actively recruiting for U.S. workers or responding to a NOD.
[5] Applications submitted with requested date of need of October 2 or 3, 2023.
CW-1 Processing Times (updated as of close of business 11/11/2023) | |||||
STEP 1 | STEP 2 | STEP 3 | STEP 4 | ||
Month of Receipt | Total Cases Submitted6 & Positions Requested | Total Cases Issued NOA or NOD | Percent Issued a First NOA or NOD | Total Cases Pending - Post NOA or NOD Issued7 | Total Cases Issued Final Decision & Positions Certified |
October | 184 (905 Workers) | 113 | 61.4% | 112 (513 Workers) | 1 (0 Workers) |
November | 57 (199 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Types of Applications | |||||
STEP 1 | STEP 2 | STEP 3 | STEP 4 | ||
Application Type | Total Cases Submitted6 & Positions Requested | Total Cases Issued NOA or NOD | Percent Issued a First NOA or NOD | Total Cases Pending - Post NOA or NOD Issued7 | Total Cases Issued Final Decision & Positions Certified |
New CW-1 Visas8 | 178 (847 Workers) | 90 | 50.6% | 89 (442 Workers) | 1 (0 Workers) |
Renewal of CW-1 Visas9 | 63 (257 Workers) | 23 | 36.5% | 23 (71 Workers) | -- |
TOTALS | 241 (1,104 Workers) | 113 | 46.9% | 112 (513 Workers) | 1 (0 Workers) |
6Withdrawn and rejected applications are excluded from the total, which may cause these numbers to fluctuate.
7Total number of pending applications that either received a NOA and actively recruiting for U.S. workers or responding to a NOD.
8Indicates employer is requesting to hire a foreign worker who is not already performing work in the CNMI in CW-1 visa status.
9Indicates employer is requesting to extend the employment of a foreign worker in CW-1 visa status.