Good news for employers and foreign workers alike — the Department of Labor has resumed processing employment visa applications that were paused during the recent government shutdown.
The DOL’s Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) platform is live again, which means employers can now submit Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) and filings for H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM cases.
During the shutdown, LCAs couldn’t be certified — a required first step before filing H-1B petitions with USCIS — which created a growing backlog and delayed start dates for many employees. With the system back up, those applications can now move forward, though we may see some short-term processing delays as agencies work through the queue.
If you have cases that were on hold, now’s a good time to reconnect with your immigration counsel to review timelines and next steps. We’re glad to see things moving again and will keep you posted as the agencies catch up.
