Prevailing Wage Determination Processing Times (as of 1/31/2024)
Processing Queue | OEWS Receipt Datei | Non-OEWS Receipt Datei |
CW-1 | January 2024 | - |
H-1B | September 2023 | June 2023 |
H-2B | January 2024 | January 2024 |
PERM | September 2023 | March 2023 |
Redeterminations | H-1B: October 2023 PERM: September 2023 | |
Center Director Reviews | CW-1: None Pending H-1B: None Pending H-2B: November 2023 PERM: December 2023 |
iThe above 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. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) encourages employers to request a prevailing wage determination for the H-2B program at least 60 days before the date the determination is needed. For various reasons, OFLC may be completing the processing of applications filed prior to the month posted.
ii Withdrawn and voided requests are excluded from the total, which may cause the numbers for previous months to fluctuate.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.
CW-1 | |
Receipt Monthii | Remaining Requests |
January 2023 | 47 |
February 2023 | 285 |
H-1B | |
Receipt Monthii | Remaining Requests |
April 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 3 |
June 2023 | 8 |
July 2023 | 10 |
August 2023 | 14 |
September 2023 | 63 |
October 2023 | 195 |
November 2023 | 182 |
December 2023 | 190 |
January 2024 | 256 |
February 2024 | 311 |
H-2B | |
Receipt Monthii | Remaining Requests |
December 2023 | 2 |
January 2024 | 64 |
February 2024 | 289 |
PERM | |
Receipt Monthii | Remaining Requests |
February 2023 | 15 |
March 2023 | 47 |
April 2023 | 100 |
May 2023 | 104 |
June 2023 | 145 |
July 2023 | 251 |
August 2023 | 370 |
September 2023 | 6,168 |
October 2023 | 13,393 |
November 2023 | 14,103 |
December 2023 | 12,757 |
January 2024 | 15,679 |
February 2024 | 16,507 |
Processing Queue | Priority Date |
---|---|
Analyst Review | February 2023 |
Audit Review | December 2022 |
Reconsideration Request to the CO | April 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.
Determinations | Month | Calendar Days |
---|---|---|
Analyst Review | February 2024 | 401 |
Audit Review | February 2024 | 505 |
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 3/16/2024)
Case Receipt Week | Total Cases Submitted1 | Total Cases Issued First NOA or NOD | Percent Receipt Week Issued NOA or NOD |
---|---|---|---|
MOST RECENT WEEK COMPLETED | |||
Mar 3 - 9 | 468 | 468 | 100% |
CURRENT PROCESSING STATUS | |||
Mar 10 - 16 | 417 | 222 | 53% |
Processing Activity | Total Cases | Current Status |
---|---|---|
Average Number of Days to Process Complete2 Cases (cumulative over the last 2 weeks) | 835 | 19 Calendar Days |
Average Number of Days to Process Incomplete Cases (cumulative over the last 2 weeks) | 622 | 33 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 3/16/2024)
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 |
July 2023 | 2,657 (52,487 Workers) | 2,657 | 100% | -- | 2,657 (44,874 Workers) |
Aug 2023 | 573 (9,837 Workers) | 573 | 100% | -- | 573 (8,811 Workers) |
Sep 2023 | 232 (5,330 Workers) | 232 | 100% | -- | 232 (4,853 Workers) |
Oct 2023 | 318 (10,931 Workers) | 318 | 100% | -- | 318 (10,559 Workers) |
Nov 2023 | 598 (12,946 Workers) | 598 | 100% | 2 (6 Workers) | 596 (12,068 Workers) |
Dec 2023 | 1,248 (22,185 Workers) | 1,248 | 100% | 1 (10 Workers) | 1,247 (21,240 Workers) |
Jan 2024 | 72 (693 Workers) | 40 | 55.6% | -- | 40 (304 Workers) |
Total Cases Issued Final Decision and Positions Certified (for FY 2024 First Half Visa Cap) | 5,663 (102,709 Workers) |
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 2-4 Group A | 2,131 (33,599 Workers) | 2,131 | 100% | 33 (730 Workers) | 2,098 (30,570 Workers) |
Jan 2-4 Group B | 1,250 (18,771 Workers) | 1,250 | 100% | 121 (1,627 Workers) | 1,129 (16,366 Workers) |
Jan 2-4 Group C | 1,184 (18,630 Workers) | 1,184 | 100% | 809 (12,136 Workers) | 375 (5,922 Workers) |
Jan 2-4 Group D | 1,197 (18,673 Workers) | 1,195 | 99.8% | 1,195 (18,632 Workers) | -- |
Jan 2-4 Group E | 1,273 (18,718 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 2-4 Group F | 1,162 (18,366 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 2-4 Group G | 118 (2,231 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 2-45 | 6 (91 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 5-6 | 10 (104 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 7-13 | 44 (638 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 14-20 | 74 (844 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 21-27 | 49 (422 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Jan 28 - Feb 3 | 222 (1,610 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Feb 4-10 | 123 (1,011 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Feb 11-17 | 761 (14,735 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Feb 18-24 | 68 (816 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Feb 25-Mar 2 | 65 (884 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Mar 3-9 | 83 (686 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Mar 10-16 | 50 (829 Workers) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Total Cases Issued Final Decision and Positions Certified (for FY 2024 Second Half Visa Cap) | 3,602 (52,858 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 April 2 or 3, 2024.
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 | 164 (832 Workers) | 164 | 100% | 1 (15 Workers) | 163 (563 Workers) |
November | 161 (714 Workers) | 161 | 100% | -- | 161 (424 Workers) |
December | 118 (378 Workers) | 118 | 100% | 4 (23 Workers) | 114 (218 Workers) |
January | 175 (680 Workers) | 175 | 100% | 84 (366 Workers) | 91 (195 Workers) |
February | 160 (554 Workers) | 154 | 96.3% | 151 (514 Workers) | 3 (0 Workers) |
March | 133 (556 Workers) | 63 | 47.4% | 63 (212 Workers) | -- |
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 | 572 (2,392 Workers) | 542 | 94.8% | 156 (582 Workers) | 386 (1,035 Workers) |
Renewal of CW-1 Visas9 | 339 (1,322 Workers) | 293 | 86.4% | 147 (548 Workers) | 146 (365 Workers) |
TOTALS | 911 (3,714 Workers) | 835 | 91.7% | 303 (1,130 Workers) | 532 (1,400 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.