💵Analysis of H-2A Certification Fees Suspension by the Department of Labor
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (DOL or Department) is issuing this notice to announce that it is temporarily suspending the collection of H-2A labor certification fees. Implementing a temporary suspension period will allow ETA's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) to move toward accepting electronic fees, as directed in President Trump's Executive Order 14247, Modernizing Payments To and From America's Bank Account (E.O. 14247). OFLC will be transitioning from collecting fees submitted in paper format (e.g., checks) to implementing a process to receive fee remittances electronically. The temporary suspension of H-2A certification fees will begin on September 2, 2025. During the temporary suspension period, OFLC will not issue invoices for certification fees for H-2A Applications for Temporary Certifications that are certified, and will not seek retroactive payment of fees for those certifications. Any employer that is issued an H-2A certification fee invoice prior to the effective date of the temporary suspension of collections must pay the invoice by the due date. OFLC will announce the end of the temporary suspension of H-2A certification fees via a Federal Register notice.
Learn More🌾Updates to Adverse Effect Wage Rates for H-2A Workers Announced
The Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor (DOL) is issuing this notice to announce updates to the Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H-2A workers) to perform agricultural labor or services other than the herding or production of livestock on the range. AEWRs are the minimum wage rates DOL has determined must be offered, advertised in recruitment, and paid by employers to H-2A workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States (U.S.) similarly employed will not be adversely affected. In this notice, DOL announces the AEWRs based on wage data reported by DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The AEWRs established in this notice are applicable to H-2A job opportunities classified: (1) in Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes other than the six SOC codes comprising the field and livestock workers (combined) group, and (2) in the field and livestock workers (combined) occupational group that are located in States or regions, or equivalent districts or territories, for which the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Labor Report (better known as the Farm Labor Survey, or FLS) does not report a wage.
Learn More📋Department of Labor Notice on Employment Certification Extension
The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) for Application for Permanent Employment Certification; and related information collection and retention requirements (OMB Control Number 1205-0451), which covers Form ETA-9089, Application for Permanent Employment Certification; Form ETA-9089, Final Determination: Permanent Employment Certification Approval; Form ETA-9089, Appendix A, Foreign Worker Information; Form ETA-9089, Appendix B, Additional Worksite Information; Form ETA-9089, Appendix C, Supplemental Information; Form ETA-9089, Appendix D, Special Recruitment for College and University Teachers, and Form ETA-9089, General Instructions. This action seeks an extension of the information collection without changes. This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).
Learn More📬Change of Mailing Address for Foreign Labor Certification Applications
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (DOL) is issuing this notice to announce that the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) is changing the mailing address for its temporary programs, currently submitted to addresses in Chicago, IL August 29, 2025.
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