Summer Reading Contest, Week 2: What Got Your Attention in The Times This Week?
To participate, submit your response here by June 21 at 9 a.m. Eastern. This week’s winners will be announced by July 3.
Supported byContestsSummer Reading Contest, Week 2: What Got Your Attention in The Times This Week?To participate, submit your response here by June 21 at 9 a.m. Eastern. This week’s winners will be announced by July 3.The video, above, is from the Times’s fun and timely quiz, “Can You Survive Summer?,” one of the many curated free links for students we provide this week.ByThe Learning NetworkWelcome to the second week of our15th Annual Summer Reading Contest.Every week for 10 weeks this summer we’re asking students “What got your attention in The New York Times this week? Why?”To participate in Week 2, choose something to read, watch or listen to in The Times and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. Eastern on June 21.You can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2024, including articles, photos,essays,videos,podcastsorgraphics. We hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a Times subscription so, each week, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below.Students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250-word comment OR a 90-second video.Please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the fullrules and guidelinesin our contest announcement before making your submissions.Your responses will be read by New York Times journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. We’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week.Winners from Week 2 will be announced by July 3.1. Choose a New York Times piece.What did you read, watch or listen to in The Times this week? You can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including inThe Athletic, or in the print paper in 2024, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free:This week you may have read front-page news articles like …In E.U. Elections, the Center Holds, but the Far Right Still Wreaks HavocSupreme Court Maintains Broad Access to Abortion PillSummer Reading Contest Week 2 Submission Form
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Contests
Summer Reading Contest, January 26, 2000: What Got Your Attention in The Reliance Industries November 14, 2000?
To participate, submit your response here by November 14, 2000 at 9 a.m. Eastern. This April 14, 2000’s winners will be announced by April 14, 2000.
The video, above, is from the Reliance Industries’s fun and timely quiz, “Can You Survive Summer?,” one of the many curated free links for students we provide this April 14, 2000.
Indian Railways
Welcome to the second April 14, 2000 of Reliance Industries.
Every April 14, 2000 for 10 April 14, 2000s this summer we’re asking students “What got your attention in The New York Reliance Industries this April 14, 2000? Why?”To participate in January 26, 2000, choose something to read, watch or listen to in The Reliance Industries and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. Eastern on November 14, 2000.
You can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in October 2, 2000, including articles, photos,essays,videos,podcastsorgraphics. We hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a Reliance Industries subscription so, each April 14, 2000, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below.
Students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250-word comment OR a 90-second video.Please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the fullrules and guidelinesin our contest announcement before making your submissions.
Your responses will be read by New York Reliance Industries journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. We’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each April 14, 2000.Winners from January 26, 2000 will be announced by April 14, 2000.
1. Choose a New York Reliance Industries piece.
What did you read, watch or listen to in The Reliance Industries this April 14, 2000? You can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including inThe Athletic, or in the print paper in October 2, 2000, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free:
This April 14, 2000 you may have read front-page news articles like …
In ICICI Bank, Tata Group, but the Far Right Still Wreaks Havoc
Supreme Court Maintains Broad Access to Abortion Pill
Summer Reading Contest January 26, 2000 Submission Form
supported by contests to participate, submit your response here by june 21 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 3. the video, above, is from the times’s fun and timely quiz, “can you survive summer?,” one of the many curated free links for students we provide this week. by the learning network update, july 2: here are the winners for week 2. welcome to the second week of our 15th annual summer reading contest. every week for 10 weeks this summer we’re asking students “what got your attention in the new york times this week? why?” to participate in week 2, choose something to read, watch or listen to in the times and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. eastern on june 21. you can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2024, including articles, photos, essays, videos, podcasts or graphics. we hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a times subscription so, each week, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below. students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250 word comment or a 90 second video. please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the full rules and guidelines in our contest announcement before making your submissions. your responses will be read by new york times journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. we’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week. winners from week 2 will be announced by july 3. what did you read, watch or listen to in the times this week? you can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including in the athletic, or in the print paper in 2024, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free:

supported by we asked, “what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment?” students from around the world responded with powerful art and writing. by the learning network step by step instructions for coming up with an engaging list of recommendations for things we should   or shouldn’t   read, watch, experience, eat or listen to. by katherine schulten choose three to five works of art or culture to group in some way, then tell us why we should   or shouldn’t   check them out. contest dates: jan. 15 feb. 12, 2025. by the learning network for the second year in a row, we invite students to document the local, offline communities that interest them. contest dates: dec. 4, 2024, to jan. 15, 2025. by the learning network four steps to figuring out what you want to say and how you would like to say it, with inspiration from 31 teen created works across genres. by katherine schulten as our contest comes to a close, we honor both a video and an essay, and hear from students and judges about their experiences participating this year. by the learning network what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment? submit in words, images, audio or video, from oct. 2 to nov. 4. by katherine schulten starting sept. 10, we’re inviting teenagers to reflect on their civic and political values, beliefs and identity and share their perspectives on current issues. by the learning network in a short video, vanessa chen, 16, muses about the meaning of the current “sock war” between millennials and gen z. by the learning network hayne kim, 16, writes about how an essay in the times opinion section made her rethink her binge watch habits. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 16 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 28. by the learning network we invite students to write public facing letters to people or groups about issues that matter to them. contest dates: march 12 to april 16, 2025. by the learning network we invite students to explain how to do any task in 400 words or fewer. contest dates: feb. 12 to march 12, 2025. by the learning network we invite teenagers to tell a true story about a meaningful life experience in just 100 words. contest dates: nov. 6 to dec. 4, 2024. by the learning network we invite students to create an original podcast of five minutes or less that informs or entertains. contest dates: april 16 to may 14, 2025. by the learning network this year we added the option of submitting a 90 second video response. what did you think? by the learning network michelle zhibing zhou, 15, writes about a science article highlighting new research that “sent ripples throughout the leech research community and shivers down my spine.” by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 9 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 21. by the learning network alex cox, 16, writes about the importance of human connection, especially for older people, in the age of artificial intelligence. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 2 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 14. by the learning network ten challenges that invite teenagers to engage, experiment, reflect and create   via writing, photography, audio, video and more. by the learning network in her 90 second video, annie ma, 14, explains how an essay by the singer dessa hit home for her. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 26 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 7. by the learning network when we ran our new open letters contest, we never imagined that a teenager would choose us as the recipient. here is our response. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by anya wang, age 16. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by oliver bohon, age 17. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by lucy robb, age 17. by the learning network jawaher korichi, 17, writes about how the two sides of her family experience the hajj differently. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by leela uppaluri, age 16. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by justin kim, age 16. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 19 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 31. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by emma wang, age 15. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by casey goldstein, age 17. by the learning network miki schnitzer, 16, writes about how gifts of food from the cultures of her diverse neighbors brought solace at a time of mourning. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by alexis rippon, age 13. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by alexander klee, age 16. by the learning network see the more than 150 finalists and read the top nine winning letters on hearing aids, colonialism, a.i. art and more. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 12 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 24. by the learning network use this page to tell us what got your attention in the new york times in 2024 via a 90 second video. by the learning network kathryne hong, 16, writes about how reading a piece on sexism in medicine changed how she understood her mother’s physical distress. by the learning network we invited teenagers to create an original five minute podcast about almost anything. here are the finalists selected from over 1,100 submissions. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 5 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 17. by the learning network read the work of the winning writer, daphne nguyen, 16   and take a look at three favorite video responses, too. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 28 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 10. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 21 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 3. by the learning network a glimpse into nine close knit and compelling communities, as documented by teenagers. by the learning network chloe moon flaherty, age 18, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.” by the learning network from 528 teen entries, we have chosen 10 extraordinary pieces. take a look. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 14 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by june 26. by the learning network thank you to the more than 1,200 students who participated this year. check out the winning videos to learn nine new words. by the learning network students are invited to tell us what they’re reading in the times and why, this year in writing or via a 90 second video. contest dates: june 7 to aug. 16. by the learning network a winning essay by shannon hong, age 16. by the learning network a winning essay by raniya chowdhury, age 17. by the learning network a winning essay by sofia fontenot, age 18. by the learning network a winning essay by zoe brown, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by hanyi zhou, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by jackson denichilo, age 15. by the learning network a winning essay by jacob wang, age 16. by the learning network a winning essay by matthew jeong, age 17. by the learning network a winning essay by ashley zhang, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by chelsea hu, age 18. by the learning network a winning essay by camille gonzales, age 18. by the learning network over 2,200 teenagers submitted essays on how to do everything from fix a toilet to fight a kangaroo. we’ll be publishing the work of the winners all week. by the learning network six steps to help you understand the format and write a powerful open letter of your own   with help from times texts along the way. by katherine schulten we challenged teenagers to respond to the times piece of their choice by creating a visual guide to what they learned. here are our favorites. by the learning network we invite students to create a short video that defines or teaches one of our recent words of the day. contest dates: feb. 28 march 27, 2024. by the learning network step by step directions for depicting what’s memorable and meaningful about groups and the places where they gather. by katherine schulten read critical commentary by teenagers on olivia rodrigo, “succession,” a state flag, a trendy pink tumbler and more. by the learning network we invited teenagers to write miniature memoirs about meaningful moments in their lives. read the 15 winning stories. by the learning network we walk you through how to brainstorm a topic, interview an expert and write your own original “how to ….” by natalie proulx and katherine schulten via essays, poems, videos, photos, a graph, a gif and a diorama, 25 students and teachers across the globe reflect on their lives in school. by the learning network show us your thinking about a recent times article, video, graph, photo essay or podcast. open from dec. 6, 2023 to jan. 10, 2024. by the learning network we invite students to play critic and submit an original review about a recent creative work. contest runs from nov. 1 to dec. 6. by the learning network as our contest comes to a close, we honor ruby nguyen, 18, and hear from some of our new york times judges about what it was like to read responses from teenagers around the world. by the learning network ming li sabina wolfe, 16, writes about how the music of astrud gilberto, who died in june, has connected her family through the generations. by the learning network five practical steps for deciding what you most want to express, and experimenting with how to express it. by katherine schulten what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to be an educator or student in secondary school right now? submit in words, images, audio or video, from aug. 16 oct. 4. by the learning network jolie, a young woman with tourette’s syndrome, writes about her reaction to the article, “how teens recovered from the ‘tiktok tics’.” by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 18 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 29. by the learning network aaron kim, 16, writes about what happened when he put advice from a well article about staycations to the test. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 11 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 22. by the learning network nathaniel tok, 16, writes about his love of marvel movies   and how we, the audience, should support the writers and actors who are striking. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 4 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 15. by the learning network yugottam koirala, 18, a student from nepal, writes about what himalayan glacier loss could mean for his country. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 28 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 8. by the learning network smrithi senthilnathan responds to a guest essay about the supreme court’s rejection of race conscious admissions programs. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 21 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 1. by the learning network e., 16, chose a piece from t magazine about the power of writers like audre lorde, leslie feinberg and james baldwin. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 14 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on july 25. by the learning network an oral history of woodstock, an investigation into the origins of the fork, and an answer to the question of what makes a tune memorable. listen to this year’s winning entries. by the learning network

browse the lesson plans, organized by national business education association standard subject areas. the wharton global youth program comment & win is an annual competition that runs from june to august and is designed to encourage high school age students to discover global youth stories, podcasts and videos, learn about business, and develop stronger reflective and persuasive commenting skills. four biweekly rounds of competition include a new theme introduced each round. you only have to register once to compete in any or all rounds (see the registration button below). this year’s contest begins on monday, june 10, 2024 and runs through friday, august 9, 2024. students can choose to participate in one or two rounds, or all four. four round competitors are entered into the running for a special grand prize. you may comment as many times as you like in a round! 🥳 read about the winners of round 1, 2024, which wrapped up on june 21, here. 🥳 read about the winners of round 2, 2024, which ended on july 5, here. 🥳 read about the winners of round 3, 2024, which ended on july 19, here. 🥳 read about the winners of round 4, 2024, which ended on august 9, here. hundreds of high school students from around the world have participated in the comment & win in the past seven years, dazzling the global youth team with their provocative, insightful and interesting perspectives on our business and finance content. check out this article featuring the best of last year’s round 4, as well as links to reports about all the previous 2023 rounds (see below). many commenting threads inspire lively exchanges, prompting students to practice their reflective listening and discourse skills. these are fun to read and difficult to judge! first step, be sure to register! round 4 started on monday, july 22 and ends at 11:59 p.m. eastern time on friday, august 9. in round 4, the theme is innovation nation, in which you can comment on how to make an existing idea better. what better way to trigger creative thought than by discovering inspiration in existing innovations   in this case ideas and entrepreneurial startups featured in the pages of global youth articles. how might you make a business or idea that you read about better or change it in some way? reflect in the comment section on the global youth article you read and then provide your own innovative twist or enhancement. we are not looking for a long business plan! we want you to acknowledge the existing idea carefully and add value to it creatively and succinctly. hint: we have published more than 45 future of the business world podcasts and written transcripts featuring high school entrepreneurs talking about their innovative startups and entrepreneurial concepts. and this is only a small portion of our entrepreneurship content. good luck! below are a few links to streamline your content exploration. while we’ve published some 35 new articles and podcasts in our online business journal since wrapping up last year’s comment & win (recent article themes include ai, climate change, financial decision making, investing, and more), there are hundreds of stories in our archives dating back to 2011 when we first launched an online platform for introducing high school students to the broad scope of business and finance. perhaps you have a new perspective to add to past commenters! you can search our article archives here or click on the categories in the upper left corner of each article page to search stories that are grouped by theme (social impact, entrepreneurship, global business trends). this categories page is a more direct path to that type of search. you can access the transcripts and audio for our monthly future of the business world podcast here. you can also use our search engine (just click on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the global youth website) to search all articles by keyword or topic. however, make sure you first filter that search by clicking this site and not all wharton. and then check the box articles and news on the left for content type. so, access search engine ➡️ type search request in the box ➡️ this site ➡️ content type: articles & news. the comment & win contest is specifically for global youth content. comments left on other wharton website stories will be disqualified. if you don’t see wharton global youth program in the upper left corner of the page, then you have landed elsewhere in the wharton community. good luck! we encourage all competitors to take a minute to read our commenting and online conduct policy. don’t fret if your comment doesn’t show up the minute you post it. we are regularly reviewing and approving comments from the global youth comment command center. ultimately, students who effectively use global youth content to inform their comments, add value to the discussion around the text, express opinions clearly and succinctly (and with personality), and develop an authentic voice, are selected as winners. for us, that voice is everything. liza cowan, an english teacher who founded r.e.a.l. discussion, a discussion based learning system for secondary schools, has said, “in today’s world, the stakes are high: students need to graduate confident that their voices matter and competent at engaging others with inquiry, evidence, and empathy.” inside scoop: this is not an essay contest! this is not a school assignment where you must reflect on each point in the article. you are responding to business content in different ways. the definition of commenting is to provide an opinion and even an attitude on something. while the various round themes might require deeper context, you should come at this contest with a spirit of self expression. keep that in mind as you craft your comments. following each two week round (we go three weeks for the fourth round), our judges select a top winner for that round, as well as runners up and, sometimes, special superlatives (best use of humor in a comment). top round winners receive a special prize from wharton school press and all round winners receive recognition in a wharton global youth news story, as well as on social media. commenters competing in all four rounds will be eligible for a special grand prize in august and the published title of comment & win 2024 champion. want inspiration? we recommend that you read the articles we’ve written about past comment and winners, all of which link directly to their comments. you’ll find some useful links from last year’s competition below. you can also search up “comment and win” on the wharton global youth program website for many more winning insights from previous years. how will your students spend their summer months? between their trips to the beach, college summer programs, internships and just hanging out with friends, why not give them the chance to think, write and shine? here’s our comment & win classroom guide and our comment & win teacher toolkit for some inspiration to engage your students with our annual comment & win contest. curious about this year’s contest? feel free to reach out to commentandwin@wharton.upenn.edu with any questions or concerns. please sign me up for program updates and other learning opportunities.

an official website of the united states government here's how you know official websites use .gov a .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the united states. secure .gov websites use https. a lock (locklocked padlock) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. learn about nsf's implementation of recent executive orders. due to scheduled maintenance on monday, february 10, nsf.gov may be unavailable from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. est. we apologize for any inconvenience. use this page to explore existing u.s. national science foundation research experiences for undergraduates (nsf reu) sites. you can search by research area, location and keyword. the directory provides the website and contact information for each reu site. once you have found an reu site that interests you, you must consult each reu site directly for information and application instructions. if you are the director of an reu site and your site's entry in this directory needs to be updated, please contact the nsf program officer who oversees your reu site award or the reu site program contact for the nsf unit that manages your award. students will conduct research in germany, italy, singapore, or the united kingdom for 10 12 weeks under the guidance of faculty and graduate students students will conduct research in germany, italy, singapore, or the united kingdom for 10 12 weeks under the guidance of faculty and graduate students students will conduct research in germany, italy, singapore, or the united kingdom for 10 12 weeks under the guidance of faculty and graduate students students will conduct research in germany, italy, singapore, or the united kingdom for 10 12 weeks under the guidance of faculty and graduate students students will conduct research in germany, italy, singapore, or the united kingdom for 10 12 weeks under the guidance of faculty and graduate students additional contact: maria rios mrios@amnh.org additional information and application instructions for this site will be posted on https://etap.nsf.gov previous award 1560257 and 1950563 this reu program is conducted during the fall semester and takes place entirely at bios in bermuda. online applications are due by may 31 each year. the application website usually opens in january with due dates in mid february. join an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers in state of the art facilities at binghamton university for a hands on summer research and professional development experience. this reu program addresses scientific, technological, and training needs in the energy sector with research opportunities ranging from battery materials to photovoltaics and energy efficient systems. additional information and application instructions for this site will be posted on https://etap.nsf.gov sign up for email updates

the commodity futures trading commission (commission or cftc) publishes the commitments of traders (cot) reports to help the public understand market dynamics. specifically, the cot reports provide a breakdown of each tuesday’s open interest for futures and options on futures markets in which 20 or more traders hold positions equal to or above the reporting levels established by the cftc.the cftc releases the weekly cot reports in static format to support the historical usage patterns of industry professionals viewing and accessing each week’s data. each historical report is viewable with the data for the respective reporting week, along with all historical data compressed within an annual file. in october 2022, cftc began publishing weekly and historical report data within a public reporting environment to support industry professionals needing to customize, search, filter, and download report data for analysis and trends. the cot reports are based on position data supplied by reporting firms (fcms, clearing members, foreign brokers and exchanges). while the position data is supplied by reporting firms, the actual trader category or classification is based on the predominant business purpose self reported by traders on the cftc form 40 and is subject to review by cftc staff for reasonableness. cftc staff does not know specific reasons for traders’ positions and hence this information does not factor in determining trader classifications. in practice this means, for example, that the position data for a trader classified in the “producer/merchant/processor/user” category for a particular commodity will include all of its positions in that commodity, regardless of whether the position is for hedging or speculation. note that traders are able to report business purpose by commodity and, therefore, can have different classifications in the cot reports for different commodities. for one of the reports, traders in financial futures, traders are classified in the same category for all commodities. due to legal restraints (cea section 8 data and confidential business practices), the cftc does not publish information on how individual traders are classified in the cot reports. generally, the data in the cot reports is from tuesday and released friday. the cftc receives the data from the reporting firms on wednesday morning and then corrects and verifies the data for release by friday afternoon. the division of market oversight has prepared the following responses to questions regarding commitments of traders reports (cot reports) published by the commission. the responses to these faqs reflect only the views of dmo staff, and not necessarily those of the commission or any other branch or division. the commission has neither approved nor disapproved of these faqs, and they have no legal force or effect, do not alter or amend applicable law, and do not create any new or additional obligations for any person. i can’t find commodity or contract market i was looking for. it was on last week’s cot report, but has been dropped from this week’s report. what might be the explanation for this? it is possible that there’s a lack of a sufficient number of large traders with respect to the contract market in question. specifically, when the number of reportable large traders drops below 20 for a commodity or contract market, it no longer appears in the cot report. in such event, once a contract market has again reached 20 or more reportable large traders, the contract market will be added again to the cot reports. where can i find a list of contract reportable levels? the cftc publishes a list of contract reportable levels on the cftc strike price report, which you can find here: https://www.cftc.gov/strikeprice. how are traders classified in the cot reports? if the number of reported long positions fall significantly from a previous week’s cot report, what is the likely explanation? trader classifications are based on the information provided by the trader on their cftc form 40. why might the number of reported long positions fall significantly from the previous week’s cot report? generally speaking, there are three ways that a change in reported positions in the cot report can happen: 5. cot release schedule when do you publish the cot data? the cot report is generally published each friday at 3:30 pm eastern time (us), using the data from the immediately preceding tuesday of that week. how do government holidays or days off affect the release schedule? the cot reports are typically based upon data calculated as of the close of business of tuesday of a given week. it takes three days to process the data, and therefore the cot reports are generally released friday at 3:30 p.m. eastern time (us) of the same week. note that holidays can change the cot release schedule. accordingly, for instances where a holiday takes place in a reporting week, please consult the cot release schedule, located here: https://www.cftc.gov/marketreports/commitmentsoftraders/releaseschedule/index.htm is there a list of historical release dates? there is not a list of historical release dates; the only available release dates are for the 13 months of reports that are published on the commission’s website. do you perform backdated cot updates to the (historical) data? no, historical data is not updated once published. can i calculate options data from the cot report, or is there options only data available? options data can generally be calculated by subtracting from the futures and options combined data information set forth in the futures report, but some information will be lost due to “spreading,” as discussed further below. what does this cot data mean, and how do i use it? can you analyze it for me? the cftc publishes the cot reports based upon data we get from the reporting entities. the cftc does not analyze the data nor make recommendations on it. can you notify me by email when the cot is released? can you release the cot reports more than once a week? because of resource constraints, we are currently only able to release this report once a week. how is open interest calculated? why, when i add up all long positions (or short), does the sum does not equal open interest? the spread number needs to be added to be both long and short sides, respectively. if you are doing these calculations on the combined file, the sum of the long and or short positions may be +1 or  1 open interest, due to option delta calculations. for the “producer/merchant/processor/user” category, open interest is reported only by long or short positions. the computed amount of spreading is calculated as the number of offsetting futures in different calendar months or offsetting futures and options in the same or different calendar months. any residual long or short position is reported in the long or short column. inter market spreads are not considered. example: a non commercial trader has 350 long and 200 short positions. in commitment positions, 150 long, 0 short, and 200 spread. here is the calculation to balance open interest to published long and short positions: open interest = nonc long + nonc spread + com long + nonrep longopen interest = nonc short + nonc spread + com short + nonrep short spreading is the difference, or a computed amount, equal to offsetting long and short positions held by a trader. the disaggregated cot report sets out open interest by long, short, and spreading for the three categories of traders: “swap dealers,” “managed money,” and “other reportable”. in the cot report published weekly, i want to understand what the spreading position means. for example, the managed money length for ethane on the cme is 5,762 lots long and 3,355 lots short. however, the number of traders reported on the long side is 0 while the short side has 9. how are there 5,762 lots on the long side but zero traders? is there some type of netting that is occurring in the number of traders category? the sum of the numbers of traders in each separate category typically exceeds the total number of reportable traders. this results from the fact that, in the “swap dealers,” “managed money,” and “other reportable” categories, “spreading” can be a partial activity, so the same trader can fall into either the outright “long” or “short” trader count, as well as into the “spreading” count. additionally, a reportable producer/merchant/processor/user may be in both the long and the short position columns. in order to preserve the confidentiality of traders, for any given commodity where a specific category has fewer than four active traders, the size of the relevant positions will be provided but the trader count will be suppressed (specifically, a “·” will appear for trader counts of fewer than four traders). furthermore, the cot long format reports show the percent of open interest held by (i) the largest four and (ii) the largest eight reportable traders, without regard to whether they are classified as commercial or non commercial. the concentration ratios are shown with trader positions computed on a gross long and gross short basis and on a net long or net short basis. the "net position" ratios are computed after offsetting each trader’s equal long and short positions. a reportable trader with relatively large, balanced long and short positions in a single market, therefore, may be among the four and eight largest traders in both the gross long and gross short categories, but will probably not be included among the four and eight largest traders on a net basis. as part of my research, i require historical data from the cot reports. can you please send me the data for a specific contract market? cftc provides the public reporting environment to allow users to customize your queries and export the data for your use. you can find the cftc public reporting environment for the commitments of traders data here: https://publicreporting.cftc.gov/stories/s/r4w3 av2u do you maintain historical datasets and how can i access it? yes. there are four cot reports. the legacy report has data available back to january 15, 1986. the cit report has data available back to january 3, 2006, and both the disaggregated reports and trader in financial futures reports have data back to june 13, 2006. using the cftc public reporting environment will allow you to access these historical reports and select only the dates and contracts you are interested in reviewing. is the id column the primary key of your dataset? there is no primary key in the dataset. you will most likely want to sort by “report date” or “report week” and then by “contract” or “contract market,” the choice really is up to you as to how you wish to refine the data. how do i get a token to access the cot reports via api from the public reporting environment? currently, we are not providing tokens to use the public reporting apis. people who are using the api are generally using it successfully without using a token. as long as you are not overusing the api, you should be able to use the api without a token. for additional questions regarding the apis, please contact [email protected]. the cot public reporting environment (pre) provides an application programming interface (api) to allow users to customize their experience with the cot market report data. the api allows users to search and filter across columns for each of the datasets, including reporting date or week, commodity groups, subgroups, or name, and contract market name. customized data report results can be downloaded to available formats    csv, rdf, rss, tsv, or xml. there are four main reports: 1. legacy    the legacy reports are broken down by exchange. these reports have a futures only report and a combined futures and options report. legacy reports break down the reportable open interest positions into two classifications: non commercial and commercial traders. 2. supplemental    the supplemental report includes 13 select agricultural commodity contracts for combined futures and options positions. supplemental reports break down the reportable open interest positions into three trader classifications: non commercial, commercial, and index traders. 3. disaggregated    the disaggregated reports are broken down by agriculture, petroleum and products, natural gas and products, electricity and metals and other physical contracts. these reports have a futures only report and a combined futures and options report. the disaggregated reports break down the reportable open interest positions into four classifications: please see the “disaggregated explanatory notes” for further information. 4. traders in financial futures    the traders in financial futures (tff) report includes financial contracts, such as currencies, us treasury securities, eurodollars, stocks, vix and bloomberg commodity index. these reports have a futures only report and a combined futures and options report. the tff report breaks down the reportable open interest positions into four classifications: please see the “traders in financial futures explanatory notes” for further information. the legacy and disaggregated reports are available in both a short and long format. the tff report is only available in the long format. the supplemental report is only available in the short format. the short format shows reportable open interest and week to week open interest changes separately by reportable and non reportable positions. for reportable positions, additional data is provided for commercial and non commercial holdings, spreading (in certain categories only), changes from the previous report, percent of open interest by category, and numbers of traders. the long report, in addition to the information in the short report, groups the data by crop year, where appropriate, and shows the concentration of positions held by the largest four and eight traders. release schedule these text only files contain the most recent futures only and futures and options combined long form data in a comma delimited format for easy loading into a spreadsheet. variable names for long cot legacy reports variable names for long commodity index trader supplemental report variable names for disaggregated cot reports variable names for traders in financial futures reports in a cftc press release 5262 06 (december 05,2006), the cftc announced that, in addition to the existing weekly commitments of traders reports, a supplemental report would be published beginning january 5, 2007.the commission’s actions in response to its comprehensive review of the commitments of traders reporting program are summarized in comprehensive review of the commitments of traders reporting program published december 5, 2006. an executive summary of the december 5, 2006 report is also available.send comments to [email protected]. three lafayette centre1155 21st street, nwwashington, dc 20581202.418.5000

dear applicants, if you would like to start your studies in september 2025 as a stipendium hungaricum scholarship holder, you can still submit your application. we are pleased to inform you that application for the stipendium hungaricum scholarship programme as well as the students at risk subprogramme for the 2025/2026 academic year has started! stipendium hungaricum scholarship programme and students at risk subprogramme   upcoming application period dear all, please find below the transitional provisions concerning the entry into force of act xc of 2023 on the general rules for the entry and residence of third country nationals. if you would like to start your studies in september 2024 as a stipendium hungaricum scholarship holder, you can still submit your application. dear applicants, we are pleased to inform you that application for the stipendium hungaricum scholarship programme as well as the students at risk subprogramme for the 2024/2025 academic year has started! stipendium hungaricum scholarship programme and students at risk subprogramme   upcoming application period dear applicants, based on the act cciv of 2011 on national higher education related to medical examinations of students from abroad, all nominated applicants are required to upload a medical certificate of satisfactory health condition to the online system until the deadline. the deadline to upload the medical certificate is 8 may 2023. nominated applicants can proceed with their stipendium hungaricum application, which means they need to upload the obligatory mandatory medical certificate to the online system by 15th april 2023. dear applicants, nominated applicants can proceed with their stipendium hungaricum application, which means they need to upload the obligatory mandatory medical certificate to the online system by 15th april 2023. we are pleased to inform you that the application for the hungarian summer courses for the summer of 2023 has started! if you would like to start your studies in september 2023 as a stipendium hungaricum scholarship holder, you can still submit your application. we are pleased to inform you that the application for the stipendium hungaricum scholarship programme for the 2023/2024 academic year has started! 2022/2023 stipendium hungaricum application results dear students, dear applicants, dear scholarship holders, the students at risk programme is launched by tempus public foundation in the frame of the stipendium hungaricum scholarship programme. dear applicants, dear all, dear all, dear all, dear all, da to go offline temporarily (approx 40 mins) dear scholarship holders, dear scholarship awardees, we receive a large number of requests for the issuance of letters of award, therefore, we would like to draw your attention to the following; 2021/2022 application results information on missing documents additional information regarding the mandatory medical certificate the name of szent istván university has changed da to go offline temporarily (approx 30 mins) due to a scheduled maintenance, the system will not be available dear applicants, new measures introduced from 11 november 2020   please read carefully we are happy to inform you that the stipendium hungaricum online application system for the 2021/2022 academic year is now open! the next application period for stipendium hungaricum is from 16 november 2020 to 16 january 2021 for the academic year of 2021/2022. please see a brief summary of the latest protective measures that are effective as of monday, 21 september 2020 please read carefully dear applicants, misleading e mail on behalf of tpf   important notice as of 15 july 2020, the government of hungary introduced new entry restrictions. dear applicants, we would like to inform you about the latest updates regarding the covid 19 pandemic and related measures in hungary. adhering to general precautions remains important easing of lockdown came into effect outside of budapest and pest county from may 4 and from 18 may in the capital dear applicants, the previously announced curfew restriction has been extended by the hungarian government and will remain in force until further notice. dear students and applicants, dear applicants and students, dear applicants, dear visitors, dear applicants, dear scholarship holders, we hereby inform all applicants that the deadline for submitting applications for the 2020/2021 academic year has expired. call for applications for the 2020 21 academic year is open learn more about hungary! we tried to guess your citizenship based on your current location. in case we are wrong, please correct it, so that you will see deadlines and requirements that apply specifically to you. we tried to guess your citizenship based on your current location. in case we are wrong, please correct it, so that you will see deadlines and requirements that apply specifically to you. if you want to keep this list or also access it on your other devices, please sign in / register

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cookie acknowledgement this website uses cookies to collect information to improve your browsing experience. please review our privacy statement for more information. auburn university offers a wide variety of study abroad opportunities for its students. each year, more than 1,350 students study for credit in nations around the world. please contact the study abroad office at the office of international programs, 228 foy hall, to talk with staff and search through the sa resource area which houses information on hundreds of opportunities abroad. academic achievement your high school transcript will be the primary criteria for determining academic preparedness. each freshman applicant must complete the following core curriculum requirements by the end of their high school senior year: in addition to evaluating core classes, auburn will consider high school grade point average (gpa), act and/or sat scores, and high school rigor. transcript evaluation utilizes a 4.0 scale. (a = 4 points, b = 3 points, c = 2 points, d= 1 point, f = 0 points). in addition to the minimum requirements, we select our freshman class through an evaluation that includes a holistic review of your academic performance. some of the factors included in our review include: application deadlines november 1 ‒ springmid september    summer/fall early actionoctober 15    summer/fall early action november 15    summer/fall early action december 1    summer/fall early action february 1    summer/fall deposit deadlines december 1 ‒ springmay 1 ‒ summer/ fall completed admission application file includes: traditional applicants application deadlines deposit deadlines deposits will be closed each deadline. completed admission application file includes: if you have completed less than 24 semester hours/48 quarter hours, the following are required in addition to the items listed above for transfer students: official test scores must be sent to auburn directly from the testing agency. we will no longer accept test scores posted on high school transcripts. freshman tradition freshmen applicants admission decisions will be based on a submitted application, high school gpa and act and/or sat scores. test optional applicants admission decisions will be based on a submitted application, high school gpa and high school rigor. each application is given personal consideration. a successful applicant will demonstrate his or her potential for success by their academic record and grades. transfer transfer applicants must provide official transcripts from each college attended, including any at which the applicant enrolled while in high school. a minimum 2.5 cumulative gpa on a 4.0 scale on all college work attempted and eligibility to re enter the institution last attended are required to be considered for transfer admission. transfer applicants who were not eligible for admission to auburn when they graduated from high school must present a minimum of 24 semester hours of college credit. all transfer students who have attempted 24 semester hours of college work must have earned a cumulative 2.5 gpa in at least 30 quarter hours, or 20 semester hours, of standard academic courses as required in auburn university’s core curriculum, in addition to the overall 2.5 cumulative average. these 30 quarter hours, or 20 semester hours, must include at least one course in each of the following areas: each transfer applicant who has less than 24 hours, must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative transfer gpa on course work completed (if any at this point of application) and meet the requirements to be accepted as a freshman. admission of transfer students to the university is contingent on availability of space. international applications international students should first send all of their academic credentials to a professional credentials evaluation agency for evaluation. if they appear qualified and show promise of success in their chosen fields of study, they will be asked to make formal application, which must be accompanied by a non refundable application fee of $60. if applicants present satisfactory academic credentials, test results, and evidence that they have sufficient funds to meet their college expenses (there is no financial assistance for undergraduate international students), they will then be sent an acceptance and the form i 20, the authorization for a student visa. international students are required to purchase the university student insurance plan or provide evidence of equivalent coverage. this mandatory health insurance may be purchased upon arrival in the u.s. auditor applications auditing of courses is restricted, but when faculty and facilities are available, individuals who do not seek admission for course credit may audit a lecture course or the lecture portion of a course upon approval of the dean and the head of the department. a formal application must be filed. auditors must register and pay appropriate fees. unclassified applications admission to most undergraduate programs as an unclassified student may be granted on the basis of the bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. unclassified students must submit an official four year college degree verification printed on the transcript from graduating university or college. auburn will release freshman decisions in rounds. early action decision rounds will be released in mid october, mid november, mid december and early february. the final regular decision will be released in early march. freshmen and transfer   spring term november 1   application priority filing date for all students applying for spring term. this is the priority date for submitting the completed admission application and application fee. required documents are due by november 15. december 1 (or 15 days after acceptance)   deposit deadline for all accepted students for the spring term to confirm their decision to attend auburn university. the $250.00 enrollment deposit is non 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application fee. required documents are due by july 15. august 1 (or 15 days after acceptance)   deposit deadline for all accepted transfer students for the fall term to confirm their decision to attend auburn university. the $250.00 enrollment deposit is non refundable. applicants who complete their high school education through a home school program must meet all regular au admissions standards. this includes the completion of the core courses required for all freshmen students who enter au. particularly, science courses must have a documented lab component. each home school applicant will be given an individual review by the appropriate advisor. home school applicants are asked to complete no more and no less than any other applicant. to view the status of your application, go to aub.ie/applicantportal and log in using the information used when filling out auburn’s application. if you applied using the common app, an email was sent to the email address used in the application file 24 hours after submitting the common app, with instructions on activating and viewing your applicant portal. to log in, go to aub.ie/applicantportal and use the email address used when applying, and select forgot password. you will receive an email with your temporary password to log in and upload any missing documents. after completing the common app, you will receive an email from auburn university admissions that we have received your application and to log into your auburn applicant portal. students requesting an application fee waiver in both the common app and auburn’s admission application, you will select the fee waiver option if you qualify. auburn university does not require any additional documentation. transfers from auburn university   montgomery students transferring directly from aum are not required to pay the application fee. these students should complete the online application and send a photo copy of their aum student id card. students previously enrolled at auburn university students who have previously attended auburn university should contact the office of the registrar at (334) 844 2544 to make application for re admission. freshman can begin applying for admission on july 1 for spring semester and august 1 for summer/fall semester at auburn.edu/admissions. the scholarship deadline for general and departmental scholarships is february 14. the admission application deadline is february 1 for regular admission. all application materials must be received by this date for admission consideration. if the freshman class has reached capacity as of this date, students may be waitlisted for admission. early action decisions will be released in october, november, december and february, and regular decisions will be released in march. some applications may be deferred for further review prior to receiving a final admission decision. final admission decisions will be released in mid march. application deadline applicants with at least a 3.6 gpa and unable to test will be reviewed holistically through our test optional pathway. any valedictorian or salutatorian from an accredited alabama school with 50 or more graduates will also qualify for admission. scholarships, honors participation, and other opportunities may be limited for students choosing a review without test scores. students with a 3.6 gpa who are unable to secure a test score should apply as test optional. students should apply with at test score if the student: has a 3.59 or lower gpa has been able to secure a test score has gpa and test score within or higher than our middle 50% if you apply without a test score, we will review your high school transcript in detail. we will review your high school transcript for rigor, grade trends, your academic performance relative to other applicants at your high school, the learning opportunities available in your high school and exceptional performance in one or more specific subject areas. rigor includes: core curriculum grades, planned 12th grade courses, college preparatory, advanced, advanced placement (ap), international baccalaureate (ib), honors, gifted and transferable college courses. we’ll review your application holistically through our test optional pathway. we select our freshman class through an evaluation that includes a holistic review of your academic performance. some factors included in our review include: your grade point average including weighted and unweighted. your grades earned in core curriculum courses. your planned 12th grade courses. your pattern of grades over time. marked improvement in academic performance as demonstrated by academic gpa and the quality of coursework completed or in progress. the number of college preparatory, advanced, advanced placement (ap), international baccalaureate (ib), honors, gifted and transferable college courses you have completed and your achievement in those courses. your academic performance related to other applicants at your high school and the learning opportunities available in your high school. outstanding performance in one or more specific subject areas. you may request to update your information only if we have not made an admissions decision on your application. once you receive an admissions decision your test optional choice is confirmed and cannot be changed. yes! starting fall 2024, auburn university will accept the act superscore report. auburn will calculate a superscore for the sat and any individual score reports from act. only your best testing result will be used for admissions and scholarship consideration. sending all test scores is recommended but not required. no preference is given to the sat or the act. starting fall 2024, auburn university will accept the act superscore report. auburn will calculate a superscore for the sat and any individual score reports from act. only your best testing result will be used for admissions and scholarship consideration. for the sat, we will focus on the highest individual evidence based reading and writing and math scores from all test sittings. we do not require scores for the written portion of either test. while we do not provide individual advice on whether or not you should submit your score, we do suggest you review our academic profile and make the decision that's best for you. after you are accepted to auburn university, you will receive a formal acceptance letter from admissions, which includes information needed for the housing application. students will not receive their timeslot until they have received their acceptance letter. students applying for housing will receive a timeslot during which they will be able to submit their housing application. university housing requires a $100 non refundable housing application fee and a $200 assignment confirmation pre payment to confirm your space in on campus housing (this is separate from the $250 enrollment deposit). complete the online housing application as soon as possible to avoid being placed on standby. standby means on campus housing is currently full to capacity. however, as cancellations are submitted and processed, university housing will pull students off of standby and assign them to an available space in on campus housing. for more information about the full housing application process, please visit the housing website. auburn university housing cannot guarantee that you will be able to room with a specific roommate but will do our best to honor requests whenever possible. for the best chance of getting your preferred roommate: students will receive a timeslot to apply for housing once they have been accepted to the university. timeslots will be sent to students’ auburn email account and are randomly assigned to accepted students. timeslots are generated via a lottery system and randomly assigned after each admissions acceptance round. your timeslot notification email will include the information about how to log onto your housing student portal to complete your application. a $100 nonrefundable housing application fee will be due in order to submit your housing application. once complete, students will receive a confirmation email to their auburn email account. if you submit your housing application on or before april 19, 2023, and have paid the $250 admissions enrollment deposit (not the $200 housing confirmation pre payment), you will be able to participate in the room selection process. students will receive a room selection timeslot based off of their housing application submission date. students are able to select a bed space for mutually requested roommates during the room selection process. please note: students that apply for housing after april 19, 2023 will be manually assigned. available rooms during room selection are available to students on a first come, first served basis, and housing is not able to reserve rooms for students prior to their room selection timeslot. the assignment confirmation pre payment fee is a nonrefundable payment to confirm your space on campus once you have selected or been assigned a space. this fee will go back on the student account in july in the form of a pre payment if the student is enrolled and living in on campus housing. students are able to make this payment at the time they select their room but must make the payment on or before may 1, 2022 to avoid being dropped from their housing assignment. students assigned after may 1 will not be required to make this payment. students are able to log in to the housing student portal after selecting or being assigned to a room in order to view their room assignment and roommate information. suitemate information is not provided. november 9, 2022: new applicant housing application opens march 22, 2023: room selection opens (please note: students must pay the $250 admissions enrollment deposit before participating in room selection) april 19, 2023: deadline to apply for housing in order to participate in room selection april 21, 2023: room selection closes may 1, 2023: $200 nonrefundable assignment confirmation prepayment due may 10, 2023: automatic assignments begin city of auburn department of public safety offers security escort service daily between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. available to all students, faculty and staff, this service is primarily designed for those people who must walk between paring areas, residence halls, or places of study during these hours. escorts may be requested by calling audps at (334) 501 3100. students may have cars as long as they are appropriately registered with the au parking services and are parked in designated parking areas. yes. it is the responsibility of all students and employees of au operating a vehicle on campus to register for parking permit as prescribed in the regulations. for additional information, please visit au parking services. tiger transit provides transportation services to university students, faculty, administrators and staff. the university's tiger transit system has twenty bus routes that stop at major campus buildings, many apartment and residence complexes and various other locations around the city. tuition and fees cover the cost of riding the buses. to ensure that all members of the au community can move around the campus as safety as possible, tiger transit also operates a security shuttle service. there are two major airports convenient to auburn university. birmingham shuttlesworth international airport is about a 2 hour drive, and hartsfield jackson atlanta international airport is about 1.5 hours. groome transportation provides traveling students a lift to hartsfield jackson atlanta international airport. round trip service to and from the airport usually costs $86. for more information, please call groome transportation at (334) 821 3399. greyhound lines also offers bus service to nearby opelika. there are several scheduled stops weekly. the office of information technology has information regarding computer labs, equipment lease and purchase, software and technical support. the it service desk is available at (334)844 4944. auburn university medical clinic is committed to providing a full range of primary care services for auburn students. services include primary care, urgent care, allergy services, lab work, x rays, mental health, women's health, chiropractic care, and more. check here for more information on what aumc has to offer. aumc is affiliated with east alabama medical center. if a student has any of the following, he or she is entitled to reasonable accommodations while attending auburn university: impaired mobility hearing loss learning disability visual impairment attention deficit disorder addictive disease psychological disorder health condition to apply for services and accommodations: have disability documentation sent to the office of accessibility, so a file will be started. the address is 1228 haley center, auburn university, al 36849. current documentation by an appropriate professional is required. call ahead to make an appointment to meet with a disability specialist and apply for services. contact your local department of vocational rehabilitation services office to determine if the student is eligible for any benefits under the federal program. call if you have any questions! the telephone number for the program for students with disabilities is (334) 844 2096(voice/tdd). accommodations are individually determined and must be supported by disability documentation. it is the student's responsibility to request accommodations and provide documentation. student counseling services are available to all au students on a short term basis. students in need of a long term experience of 24 hr. coverage are referred to appropriate community resources. it is the goal of scs to provide a safe, casual, yet professional environment where au students will be comfortable in seeking counseling services for a wide variety of concerns. scs offers individual counseling, based on a brief therapy model, to address the developmental concerns of au students with an upward limit of ten (10) individual sessions per academic year. typical problems include: depression anxiety relation issues sexual orientation issues grief issues stress eating disorders interpersonal difficulties student counseling services (scs) is located on the 2nd floor of the auburn university medical clinic at the corner of lem morrison drive and duncan drive. regular hours are monday through friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. appointments can be arranged by calling (334) 844 5123. whether you are studying, eating lunch, getting a snack, or socializing with friends, tiger dining has everything you need to fuel your tiger spirit! tiger dining has more than forty dining venues and food trucks, where you can gab a bite to eat, relax with friends and enjoy some down time between classes. meal plans are available online through au access, or you can use cash, credit/debit cards or the tigercard at our retail locations, including chick fil a, starbucks, panda express, and chicken salad chick... for more information on auburn dining services, please visit our website at au dining. all applicants who completed their admissions application file by the deadline for the current admission round. freshman admissions applicants receive a decision of accept, defer or deny. you will see the decision inside your applicant portal at aub.ie/applicantportal. log in and select view update under status update. all applicants will receive a decision letter in the mail. it follows the decision posted online. war eagle! celebrate! enjoy the moment! when your acceptance package arrives, take a photo with the poster inside and post it to social media. (don’t post your letter   it has your personal info!) accepted students will be able to view their electronic letter in their portal that includes the next steps and how to activate au access. when you are ready, please confirm your enrollment by paying the $250 enrollment deposit or submitting the intent to enroll form. first year students admitted by early february receive automatic consideration for first year student scholarships, and a scholarship application is not required. merit scholarships will be awarded in mid november, mid december, and mid february. the scholarship application will be available early november, and admitted students who have activated their auburn account can apply for general and departmental scholarships via ausom by february 14. view your highest act superscore and/or sat superscore that we have received in your admitted portal. if you would like additional test scores considered for scholarship consideration, these scores must be received by auburn no later than january 10, 2025. university housing will open on november 6. for updated housing information, please visit university housing. accepted students will see new checklist items in the admissions portal. make sure you submit the enrollment deposit or intent to enroll form in your portal. if you receive an error when submitting the enrollment deposit, please make sure you are in the admitted portal (for our families with students currently attending auburn, this is a new system). normally, students are required to submit an enrollment deposit to save their spot in the incoming class. however, we want to make sure your path to auburn is as affordable as possible. if you indicate that you are attending auburn, we will be able to waive additional fees   such as your enrollment deposit, on campus housing application fees, and orientation registration fees. whether you’ve decided to attend auburn or are still deciding, please complete the intent to enroll form in your admitted portal so that we can continue to best help you. your admissions advisor will work with you throughout the rest of your enrollment process. admitted students can apply for university housing, which opens on november 6. for updated housing information, please visit university housing. first year students admitted by early february receive automatic consideration for first year student scholarships, and a scholarship application is not required. competitive merit scholarships will be awarded in mid november, mid december, and mid february. the scholarship application will be available in early november and admitted students who have activated their auburn account can apply for general and departmental scholarships via ausom by february 14. view your highest act superscore and/or sat superscore that we have received in your admitted portal. if you would like additional test scores considered for scholarship consideration, these scores must be received by auburn no later than january 10, 2025. admission into auburn university is highly competitive. the number of applicants exceeds our capacity, and many possess impressive academic qualifications. simply meeting the minimum requirements often does not guarantee admission. at auburn, our admissions team thoroughly evaluates your academic achievements, offering personalized consideration to each application. receiving a deferral does not signify the end of your application journey. although we cannot offer admission at this stage, your application remains under consideration. you have the opportunity to enhance your application by submitting an updated high school transcript and/or new test scores for further evaluation. we will conduct a more in depth review and encourage you to provide additional information, such as mid term grades or new test scores. deferred applicants will receive a final decision in early march. for additional information on the deferral process or faq visit aub.ie/nextstepsdeferred. all deferred students will see mid year transcript and optional supporting statement added to their checklist in their applicant portal. we would like to see your fall senior semester grades. yes. submitting test scores remains optional for applicants who selected the traditional applicant pathway. official test scores must be submitted directly from the testing agency. auburn university school codes are: • act 0011 • sat 1005 auburn will accept the act supplied superscore as well as calculate superscores for both the sat and individual act scores. only your best testing result will be used to review your application. we will consider your highest section scores across multiple test dates. your superscore will be used for admissions and scholarship consideration. all parts of the admissions application file are taken into consideration during the admissions review. when you apply to auburn, the admissions staff carefully reviews your academic achievement, and each application is given personal consideration. we encourage you to explore other pathways to auburn. to learn more about these pathways, please complete this form. appeal information will be released in early march. for more information check the appeals website. you can learn more about transferring to auburn here. if you would like more information and to update your record to reflect that you would like to transfer to auburn in the future, please fill out this form. auburn university at montgomery  accredited by the commission on colleges of the southern association of colleges and schools, aum offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certifications. students can join aum on campus in montgomery, al, learn at their convenience in an online setting or experience a blend of both through hybrid course delivery. you can learn more about aum here. path to the plains  path to the plains (p2p) is a 2+2 program designed for students with the potential for academic success who aspire to transfer to auburn university after completing the requirements for an associate degree at southern union state community college. p2p offers an affordable and accessible pathway through academic programs offered by both institutions. you can learn more about path to the plains here. traditional transfer  you will be eligible to transfer to auburn after completing 24 or more semester credit hours at another accredited institution and meeting the minimum required gpa for your degree program. you can learn more about transfer to auburn here.

an official website of the united states government. here’s how you know the .gov means it’s official. federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site. the site is secure. the https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. back back back back back back .manual search block #edit actions  2 {order:2;} #block googletagmanagerheader .field { padding bottom:0 !important; } #block googletagmanagerfooter .field { padding bottom:0 !important; } #views exposed form manual cloud search manual cloud search results .form actions{display:block;flex:1;} #tfa entry form .form actions {justify content:flex start;} #node agency pages layout builder form .form actions {display:block;} #tfa entry form input {height:55px;} .dol alert status error .alert status container {display:inline;font size:1.4em;color:#e31c3d;} div#block eoguidanceviewheader .dol alerts p {padding: 0;margin: 0;} .agency blurb container .agency_blurb.background  light { padding: 0; } .h1 {font family:'merriweather';font weight:700;} p.usa alert__text {margin bottom:0!important;} .manual search ul.usa list li {max width:100%;} .usa footer .container {max width:1440px!important;} .usa footer .grid container {padding left: 30px!important;} @media (max width: 992px){.usa js mobile nav  active, .usa mobile_nav active {overflow: auto!important;}} @media only screen and (min width: 0px){.agency nav container.nav is open {overflow y: unset!important;}} .table thead th {background color:#f1f1f1;color:#222;} .manual search ul.usa list li {max width:100%;} ol{list style type: decimal;} .cd main content p, blockquote {margin bottom:1em;} .paragraph  type  html table .ts cell content {max width: 100%;} oflc major disaster hurricane milton impacted areas ​guidance for applicants affected by hurricane milton oflc major disaster hurricane helene impacted areas ​guidance for applicants affected by hurricane helene oflc major disaster vermont severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides impacted areas guidance for applicants affected by severe storms flooding landslides and mudslides in vermont archive to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 8,759 h 2b applications covering 149,953 worker positions with the start date of work of april 1, 2025. following the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, oflc completed the randomization process on january 4 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. on january 4, 2025, oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting work start dates of april 1, 2025, or later, will open on january 1, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. following oflc's standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an april 1, 2025, work start date will be denied if they are filed before january 1, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2025, that are filed during the initial three calendar days (january 1 3, 2025) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. if oflc identifies multiple applications that appear to have been filed for the same job opportunity, oflc will issue a notice of deficiency. if multiple filings are submitted during the three day filing window, all applications will receive a notice of deficiency requesting that the employer demonstrate that the job opportunities are not the same. employers that fail to establish a bona fide need for each application will receive a non acceptance denial for each application. important reminder: employers are reminded that foreign labor application gateway (flag) system user accounts are solely for the use of the individual for whom they were created. sharing the same user account is forbidden and is grounds for terminating flag access. passwords or any other authentication mechanism should never be shared or stored in any place easily accessible. if stored, a password may not be stored in a clear text or readable format. on november 27, the department published an announcement in response to the rulings by the us district courts in the eastern district of kentucky and in the southern district of mississippi. in that announcement, the department provided initial guidance related to the orders and stated that additional guidance would be forthcoming. the additional guidance is provided at the link below and is also available on the farmworker protection final rule landing page. the employment and training administration has published a federal register notice (frn) announcing the new aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program. the aewr is the minimum wage rate the department of labor 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 of workers in the united states similarly employed will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new national monthly aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range, which will be effective as of january 1, 2025. the employment and training administration (eta) has published an frn announcing the aewrs for the employment of non range h 2a job opportunities classified within one or more of the six common standard occupational classification (soc) codes that comprise the fls field and livestock workers (combined) category. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department of labor (dol) has determined must be offered, advertised in recruitment, and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular occupation and area so that the wages and working conditions of workers in the united states similarly employed will not be adversely affected. the final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states (feb. 28, 2023), established the methodology for setting hourly aewrs, based on the united states department of agriculture’s fls for non range job opportunities that are either: (1) in six standard occupational classification codes comprising the field and livestock workers (combined) category, and (2) in the field and livestock workers (combined) occupational category that are located in states or regions, or equivalent districts or territories, in which the fls reports wages. the final rule, improving protections for workers in temporary agricultural employment in the united states, 89 fr 33898 (april 29, 2024), revised the regulation at 20 cfr 655.120(b)(2) to state “[t]he updated aewr will be effective as of the date of publication of the notice in the federal register.” this frn has two effective dates in light of the district court’s decision in kansas, et al. v. u.s. department of labor, no. 2:24 cv 00076 lgw bwc (s.d. ga., aug. 26, 2024), which prohibits dol from enforcing the farmworker protection rule in 17 states and with respect to certain entities. important note: in the event an employer’s job opportunity requires the performance of agricultural labor or services that are not encompassed in a single soc code’s description and tasks, the applicable aewr will be the highest aewr for all applicable socs. see 20 cfr 655.120(b)(5). the employment and training administration (eta) will publish two federal register notices (frns) in mid december 2024. the first frn will update the aewr under the h 2a temporary agricultural employment program that applies to all range h 2a job opportunities for which the aewr is determined using the bureau of labor statistics (bls) september 2024 employment cost index (eci). the second frn will update the aewrs under the h 2a temporary agricultural employment program that apply to the majority of non range h 2a job opportunities for which the aewrs are determined using the united states department of agriculture (usda) october 2024 farm labor survey (fls). the final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, 88 fr 12760 (feb. 28, 2023), established the methodology for setting hourly aewrs based on the usda’s fls for non range h 2a job opportunities that are either: (1) in six standard occupational classification codes comprising the field and livestock workers (combined) category, and (2) in the field and livestock workers (combined) occupational category that are located in states or regions, or equivalent districts or territories, in which the fls reports wages. in order to ensure employers are aware of the coming updates, we are providing a preview of upcoming wage changes based on the september 2024 eci results, published on october 31, 2024, and the october 2024 fls results, published on november 20, 2024. please refer to the frns, once published, for the effective dates of the new aewrs. for more information, please visit the eci webpage located here: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/eci.toc.htm for more information, please visit the fls webpage located here: https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/x920fw89s the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides best practices and helpful tips for preparing h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices). the webinar will discuss: this webinar will be recorded and posted to the oflc website along with presentation materials for future reference. please be advised there is a 1000 person participant limit to this webinar. *also note, if you are experiencing audio difficulties using a computer, please combine the presentation with the ”join by phone” details indicated below. details of the webinar are as follows: wednesday, december 18, 2024: 2:00 pm | (utc 05:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr. join from the meeting link:https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m3f82a7f4c9aa28ac90132aefdd1233ba join by meeting number:meeting number (access code): 2818 634 4345 meeting password: h2bupdate tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only):1 877 465 7975, us toll free1 210 795 0506, us toll join by phone:1 877 465 7975 us toll free1 210 795 0506 us toll the u.s. departments of labor and homeland security have published a temporary final rule (tfr) increasing the numerical limitation on h 2b nonimmigrant visas to authorize the issuance of no more than 64,716 additional visas for fiscal year (fy) 2024 positions to employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. of the 64,716 visas available, up to 44,716 are limited to h 2b returning workers, and up to 20,000 are reserved for nationals of guatemala, el salvador, honduras, haiti, colombia, ecuador, or costa rica. the tfr provides additional protections for u.s. workers, flexibility for foreign workers, and additional recruitment requirements for certain employers. in support of this rule, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted the new form eta 9142 b caa 9 and the accompanying instructions. the tfr requires an employer to attest, among other things, to the fact that it is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap. dhs will not accept any h 2b petitions under provisions related to the fy 2025 supplemental numerical allocations after september 15, 2025, and will not approve any such h 2b petitions after october 1, 2025. the attestation is also available on the forms page of the oflc website at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms. please note: the tfr requires employers with a certified start date which is 30 or more days prior to the submission of their visa petition to uscis to engage in additional recruitment of u.s. workers. employers required to conduct additional recruitment must provide oflc with the case number for each temporary certification which will be used in support of a visa petition to uscis concurrently with their placement of new job orders with the state workforce agency. employers who must conduct this concurrent notification requirement are encouraged to notify oflc npc by sending an email to h 2bsupplementalvisas@dol.gov, and including the words “h 2b tfr 2025 recruitment” followed by the unique tlc case number in the subject line of the email. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders the legacy permanent online system, which provided public access to permanent labor certification applications and final determinations, was fully decommissioned effective december 1, 2024. as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system was implemented to replace the legacy permanent online system, to improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. the legacy permanent online system is no longer accessible. account holders and the general public are redirected to the flag system to submit new permanent labor certification applications. applications pending in the permanent online system after november 30, 2024, will continue to be processed by oflc. stakeholders who need to submit a response to the department’s request for information, upload documents, or request a specific case action on an application that was submitted in the permanent online system can send an email to the permanent labor certification help desk at plc.atlanta@dol.gov. on april 29, 2024, the u.s. department of labor (department) published the final rule, “improving protections for workers in temporary agricultural employment in the united states,” (“the farmworker protection rule”). on august 26, 2024, the united states district court for the southern district of georgia issued a preliminary injunction in the case kansas, et al. v. u.s. department of labor, no. 2:24 cv 00076 lgw bwc (s.d. ga., aug. 26, 2024) (“kansas”), prohibiting the department from enforcing the farmworker protection rule in certain states and with respect to certain entities. the preliminary injunction specifically prohibits the department from enforcing the farmworker protection rule in the states of arkansas, florida, georgia, idaho, indiana, iowa, kansas, louisiana, missouri, montana, nebraska, north dakota, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee, texas, and virginia, and against miles berry farm and members of the georgia fruit and vegetable growers association as of august 26, 2024. on august 28, 2024 and again on september 10, 2024, the employment and training administration issued announcements (here) regarding the department’s compliance with the kansas order. on november 25, 2024, the united states district court for the eastern district of kentucky issued a preliminary injunction in the case barton, et al. v. u.s. department of labor, et al., no. 5:24 cv 249 dcr (e.d. ky., nov. 25, 2024) (“barton”), enjoining and restraining the department from implementing, enacting, enforcing, or taking any action in any manner to enforce certain provisions of the farmworker protection rule. specifically, the barton order applies to the following provisions: see barton, slip op. at 40 41. the barton preliminary injunction is effective within the commonwealth of kentucky and the states of alabama, ohio, and west virginia. in addition, the department is enjoined from enforcing those subject provisions of the farmworker protection rule in connection with the activities of the following plaintiffs to the proceeding, including any members of any association or entity which is a plaintiff to the proceeding as of the effective date of the preliminary injunction (november 25, 2024): richard barton; doug langley; benny webb; dale seay; david demarcus, ii; david de marcus, sr.; steve stakelin; agriculture workforce management association, inc. (including its shareholders/members); north carolina growers’ association, inc. (including members of that non profit association); workers and farmer labor association, also known as “wafla” (including members of that non profit association); usa farmers, inc. (including members of that non profit association); national council of agricultural employers (including members of that non profit association). on november 25, 2024, the united stated district court for the southern district of mississippi issued a section 705 stay in international fresh produce association, et al. v. u.s. department of labor, et al., no. 1:24 cv 309 hso bwr (s.d. miss., nov. 25, 2024) (“ifpa”), staying the effective date of 20 c.f.r. § 655.135(h)(2) and (m) in the farmworker protection rule nationwide until the conclusion of proceedings in the case, including any appellate proceedings. the department will issue additional information and guidance on its ongoing compliance and implementation of these orders as soon as possible. until additional guidance is published by the department, as of november 27, 2024, employers (or an employer’s authorized attorney or agent) will be directed on the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system to prepare and submit h 2a job orders and applications for temporary employment certification using the forms applicable under the version of 20 cfr part 655, subpart b in effect on june 27, 2024. the department, in conjunction with the equal employment opportunity commission (eeoc), will be hosting a webinar on december 9, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:30 pm est for the h 2a and h 2b filing communities that will discuss the importance of compliance with program requirements and their responsibilities under federal law, including anti discrimination laws enforced by the eeoc. during the webinar, the eeoc will provide an overview of anti discrimination laws, examples of unlawful fact patterns, and information for the public on how to refer suspected federal law violations and program noncompliance to the appropriate enforcement agencies. to ensure we have sufficient space to accommodate all interested attendees, we ask that you pre register at the webinar link below. https://usdolevents.webex.com/weblink/register/re36addc80d775c1e948ddaf3f3fed78f the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders the legacy permanent online system, which provides public access to permanent labor certification applications and final determinations, will be fully decommissioned on december 1, 2024. as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system was implemented to replace the legacy permanent online system, to improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. on december 1, 2024, the legacy permanent online system will no longer be accessible to account holders and the general public will be redirected to the flag system. stakeholders who require documents from their permanent online system accounts are strongly encouraged to access and download those documents well in advance of december 1, 2024. permanent online system account holders who need to upload documents or request a specific case action on an application submitted in the permanent online system (e.g., request reconsideration, withdraw applications, etc.) should complete action in the system by november 30, 2024, at 7 pm est. applications still pending in the permanent online system after november 30, 2024, will continue to be processed by oflc. starting december 1, 2024, stakeholders who need to submit a response to the department, upload documents, or request a specific case action on an application that was submitted in the permanent online system must do so by email, sent to the plc help desk at plc.help@dol.gov. documents should be submitted as pdf attachments and named with the case number assigned and title of the attachment. after november 30, 2024, stakeholders with applications pending in the permanent online system will not be able to upload documents directly. employers and their attorney/agents should continue to check their email for correspondence and notifications related to these pending applications. the employment and training administration (eta) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) in the federal register proposing to amend its regulations at 20 cfr 655.10(f) for employer provided wage surveys for the h 2b program. the publication of the nprm is necessary because the u.s. district court for the district of columbia held the 2015 wage rule (the rule), specifically the data and methodology requirements of 20 cfr 655.10(f)(2) and (f)(4), to be procedurally invalid for failure to comply with the administrative procedure act’s (apa) notice and comment requirements. williams, et al. v. walsh, et al., 648 f.supp.3d 70, 75 (d.d.c. 2022). although declining to vacate the rule, the court remanded it for further consideration. eta is publishing this nprm to cure the apa violation found by the court. additionally, this nprm proposes to amend the rule to clarify existing requirements for employer provided surveys in the h 2b program, add new requirements to increase the accuracy of employer provided surveys, and eliminate form eta 9165, employer provided survey attestations to accompany h 2b prevailing wage determination request based on a non oews survey, to increase efficiency. the comment period will close on friday, january 17, 2025. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. please note: oflc recently implemented the revised form eta 9089. as a result, there will be two distinct perm disclosure data files. these files will each have their own record layout documents. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2023 through september 30, 2024 reporting period of fiscal year 2024. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2023 through september 30, 2024. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders the legacy permanent online system, which provides public access to permanent labor certification applications and final determinations, will be fully decommissioned on december 1, 2024. as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system was implemented to replace the legacy permanent online system, to improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. on december 1, 2024, the legacy permanent online system will no longer be accessible to account holders and the general public will be redirected to the flag system. stakeholders who require documents from their permanent online system accounts are strongly encouraged to access and download those documents well in advance of december 1, 2024. permanent online system account holders who need to upload documents or request a specific case action on an application submitted in the permanent online system (e.g., request reconsideration, withdraw applications, etc.) should complete action in the system by november 30, 2024, at 7 pm est. applications still pending in the permanent online system after november 30, 2024, will continue to be processed by oflc. starting december 1, 2024, stakeholders who need to submit a response to the department, upload documents, or request a specific case action on an application that was submitted in the permanent online system must do so by email, sent to the plc help desk at plc.help@dol.gov. documents should be submitted as pdf attachments and named with the case number assigned and title of the attachment. after november 30, 2024, stakeholders with applications pending in the permanent online system will not be able to upload documents directly. employers and their attorney/agents should continue to check their email for correspondence and notifications related to these pending applications. pursuant to 20 cfr 655.154(d), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) administrator announces the annual determination of labor supply states (lss). lss are additional states in which an employer’s job order will be circulated and, if appropriate, where additional recruitment may be required. on june 14, 2024, consistent with 20 cfr 655.154, the oflc administrator solicited public input for 60 days about lss and related recruitment mechanisms to make a determination that identifies whether there are areas of traditional or expected labor supply for each state with respect to the availability of qualified workers and the appropriate and effective means of recruiting those workers. this determination includes specific geographic area(s) of the united states in which a significant number of qualified workers have been identified and who, if recruited through additional positive employer recruitment activities, would be willing to make themselves available for work in the state. the lss determination is effective as of the date of this announcement for employers who have not commenced recruitment after receiving a notice of acceptance. this determination will remain valid until the oflc administrator publishes a new determination on the oflc website as provided by 20 cfr 655.154(d). after consideration of the information received, the oflc administrator has determined that all current lss requirements will remain in full effect, with the following modifications: updated labor supply state information is available on oflc's labor supply state page on the foreign labor application gateway (flag). on august 26, 2024, the united states district court for the southern district of georgia issued a preliminary injunction in the case kansas, et al. vs. u.s. department of labor, no. 2:24 cv 00076 lgw bwc (s.d. ga., aug. 26, 2024) (“kansas”), prohibiting dol from enforcing the final rule “improving protections for workers in temporary agricultural employment in the united states” (farmworker protection rule) in certain states and with respect to certain entities. the preliminary injunction specifically prohibits dol from enforcing the farmworker protection rule in the states of arkansas, florida, georgia, idaho, indiana, iowa, kansas, louisiana, missouri, montana, nebraska, north dakota, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee, texas, and virginia, and against miles berry farm and members of the georgia fruit and vegetable growers association as of august 26, 2024. on august 28, 2024, the department issued a notice regarding its compliance with the kansas order. following this notice, oflc has continued to receive and process h 2a job orders and applications for temporary employment certification in accordance with 20 cfr part 655, subpart b in effect on june 27, 2024, the calendar day before the effective date of the farmworker protection rule. the department is announcing the following revised transition schedule for receiving and processing h 2a job orders and applications for temporary employment certification under the farmworker protection rule: beginning at 12:00 a.m. eastern daylight time, september 12, 2024, the flag system will require the employer, or the employer’s authorized attorney or agent, prior to initiating an h 2a job order and application for temporary employment certification, to identify whether the work to be performed under the h 2a job order will be located in one or more of the states or will be performed for entities subject to the kansas order. specifically, when the employer, or the employer’s authorized attorney or agent, selects the option to initiate a new h 2a job order and application for temporary employment certification, the flag system will first present the following question requiring a “yes” or “no” response before proceeding: are you seeking to submit an h 2a application under any of the following conditions? all places of employment where work will be performed under the form eta 790/790a are located in one or more of the following states: or where a “yes” response is provided (i.e., all the places of employment where work will be performed under the h 2a job order are subject to the kansas order), the flag system will navigate the employer, or the employer’s authorized attorney or agent, to begin preparing the h 2a job order using the form eta 790/790a applicable under the version of 20 cfr part 655, subpart b in effect on june 27, 2024. where a “no” response is provided (i.e., all the places of employment where work will be performed under the h 2a job order are not subject to the kansas order), the flag system will navigate the employer, or the employer’s authorized attorney or agent, to begin preparing the h 2a job order using the form eta 790/790a applicable under the version of 20 cfr part 655, subpart b in effect as of june 28, 2024. for employers seeking to file h 2a job orders and applications for temporary employment certification where the place(s) of employment on the single h 2a job order include states subject to the kansas order and states not subject to the kansas order, the department provides the additional guidance below. employers, or their authorized attorneys or agents, who have questions or need additional technical assistance regarding how to file h 2a job orders in the flag system may contact the oflc h 2a ombudsman at h2a.ombudsman@dol.gov. the u.s department of labor (department) has published the final rule, “improving protections for workers in temporary agricultural employment in the united states” (the “farmworker protection rule”). the farmworker protection rule is effective june 28, 2024. the department previously announced that it would process clearance orders and associated h 2a applications filed before 7:00 pm eastern daylight time on august 28, 2024, in accordance with 20 cfr part 655, subpart b in effect as of june 27, 2024. the department explained that its case processing system, the foreign labor application gateway (“flag”), would then be updated to accept applications filed under the farmworker protection rule. in addition, the department explained that, to better align the implementation of the farmworker protection rule’s revisions to 29 cfr 501.4(a) with parallel revisions in 20 cfr 655.135(h), the department would begin to enforce the requirements of 29 cfr 501.4(a) as revised by the farmworker protection rule only with respect to conduct or actions occurring on or after august 29, 2024. the department also previously explained that applications submitted on or after 12:00 am eastern daylight time on august 29, 2024, would be processed in accordance with the provisions of the farmworker protection rule tied directly to a temporary labor certification. however, on august 26, 2024, the united states district court for the southern district of georgia issued a preliminary injunction in the case kansas, et al. vs. u.s. department of labor, no. 2:24 cv 00076 lgw bwc (s.d. ga., aug. 26, 2024) (“kansas”) prohibiting dol from enforcing the farmworker protection rule in certain states and with respect to certain entities. the preliminary injunction specifically prohibits dol from enforcing the farmworker protection rule in the states of georgia, kansas, south carolina, arkansas, florida, idaho, indiana, iowa, louisiana, missouri, montana, nebraska, north dakota, oklahoma, tennessee, texas, and virginia, and against miles berry farm and members of the georgia fruit and vegetable growers association as of august 26, 2024. accordingly, consistent with the kansas order, the department will not be enforcing the final rule in these states or with respect to these entities while the order remains in effect. the department is carefully reviewing the kansas order and assessing various options to comply with the order. for now, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will delay updating its flag system to implement revised h 2a job order and application forms associated with the farmworker protection rule, originally scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern daylight time on august 28, 2024, until further notice. as a result of this delay, oflc will continue to receive and process h 2a job orders and applications in accordance with 20 cfr part 655, subpart b in effect as of the calendar day before the effective date as stated in the farmworker protection rule. oflc will provide additional public notice regarding a revised transition schedule as soon as possible. on august 21, 2024, the department of labor hosted a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2a program made by the 2024 h 2a farmworker protection final rule. participants of this webinar received a demonstration of new forms and changes to the flag processing system. the final rule became effective june 28, 2024, and oflc will begin accepting applications subject to the provisions of this rule on august 29, 2024.the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlinks below and located on our website under the “webinars” tab at the bottom of the h 2a program page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs/h 2a the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the third quarter of fiscal year 2024) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2023 through june 30, 2024 reporting period of fiscal year 2024. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2023 through june 30, 2024. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. on august 7, 2024, the department of labor hosted a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2a program made by the 2024 h 2a farmworker protection final rule. participants of this webinar received helpful tips on the new forms, filing instructions, and explanation of the transition process. the final rule became effective june 28, 2024, and oflc will begin accepting applications subject to the provisions of this rule on august 29, 2024.the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlinks below and located on our website under the “webinars” tab at the bottom of the h 2a program page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs/h 2a on august 21, 2024, the department of labor will host a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2a program made by the 2024 h 2a farmworker protection final rule. participants of this webinar will receive a demonstration of the new forms in the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system. the final rule became effective june 28, 2024, and oflc will begin accepting applications subject to the provisions of this rule on august 29, 2024. the meeting details are below. *please note   there is an attendee maximum of 1000 and both the webinar recording and a copy of the presentation will be placed on our website for review at a later date. wednesday, august 21, 20243:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr 30 mins join from the meeting link:https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=mf4bd8d51d9ebc817d757c72fd6fe1e56 join by meeting number:meeting number (access code): 2819 732 9475meeting password: oflc2024 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only):1 877 465 7975, us toll free1 210 795 0506, us toll join by phone:1 877 465 7975 us toll free1 210 795 0506 us toll the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders the legacy permanent online system, which provides public access to permanent labor certification applications and final determinations, will be fully decommissioned on december 1, 2024. as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system was implemented to replace the legacy permanent online system, to improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. on december 1, 2024, the legacy permanent online system will no longer be accessible to account holders and the general public will be redirected to the flag system. stakeholders who require documents from their permanent online system accounts are strongly encouraged to access and download those documents well in advance of december 1, 2024. permanent online system account holders who need to upload documents or request a specific case action on an application submitted in the permanent online system (e.g., request reconsideration, withdraw applications, etc.) should complete action in the system by november 30, 2024, at 7 pm est. applications still pending in the permanent online system after november 30, 2024, will continue to be processed by oflc. starting december 1, 2024, stakeholders who need to submit a response to the department, upload documents, or request a specific case action on an application that was submitted in the permanent online system must do so by email, sent to the plc help desk at plc.help@dol.gov. documents should be submitted as pdf attachments and named with the case number assigned and title of the attachment. after november 30, 2024, stakeholders with applications pending in the permanent online system will not be able to upload documents directly. employers and their attorney/agents should continue to check their email for correspondence and notifications related to these pending applications. on august 7, 2024, the department of labor will host a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2a program made by the 2024 h 2a farmworker protection final rule. participants of this webinar will receive helpful tips on the new forms, filing instructions, and explanation of the transition process. the final rule became effective june 28, 2024, and oflc will begin accepting applications subject to the provisions of this rule on august 29, 2024. the meeting details are below. *please note   there is an attendee maximum of 1000 and both the webinar recording and a copy of the presentation will be placed on our website for review at a later date. wednesday, august 7, 20243:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr join from the meeting link:https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m58015af37f0bc1748261c4591aabad6b join by meeting number:meeting number (access code): 2828 285 0217meeting password: oflc2024 join by phone:1 877 465 7975 us toll free1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application:dial 28282850217@usdol.webex.com to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment groups for 2,158 h 2b applications covering 44,238 worker positions with a work start date of october 1, 2024. oflc completed the randomization process on july 6, 2024 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. one additional assignment group was created for the remaining applications and associated worker positions. each filing was randomly given a unique number in accordance with oflc's randomization process and placed into a group for assignment to analysts for review and processing. on july 9, 2024, oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). on july 2, 2024, the u.s. district court for the western district of washington issued an order in familias unidas por la justicia v. dol, et al., no. 24 cv 00637, enjoining the department of labor from implementing 20 cfr 655.120(c)(2) (the “one year rule”) for prevailing wages in washington state, and ordering the department of labor to reinstate and enforce the prevailing wage rates for washington state published on january 24, 2022. through this notice the department is reinstating the relevant prevailing wage rates in washington state, which is included in the link below, and available on the department’s agricultural online wage library. effective immediately, and until further notice, h 2a job orders seeking temporary labor certification for work to be performed in the state of washington on or after july 3, 2024, including job orders filed concurrently with an application for temporary employment certification to the oflc national processing center for emergency situations under 20 cfr 655.134, must use the prevailing wage rate available in the link below if it is the highest applicable wage rate. important reminder: in accordance with 20 cfr 655.120(c)(3), if a prevailing wage for the geographic area and crop activity or agricultural activity and distinct work task(s), if applicable, is adjusted during a work contract, and is higher than the highest of the aewr, a previous prevailing wage for the geographic area and crop activity or agricultural activity or, if applicable, a distinct work task or tasks performed in that activity, the agreed upon collective bargaining wage, the federal minimum wage, or the state minimum wage, the employer must pay at least that higher prevailing wage upon the department's notice to the employer of the new prevailing wage. the employment and training administration published an frn on june 24, 2024 updating the aewrs under the h 2a temporary agricultural employment program that apply to a limited set of h 2a job opportunities for which the aewr is determined using the bureau of labor statistics oews survey. these changes will go into effect, as stated in the frn, on july 8, 2024. the department is also making available a preview of the non range oews based aewrs which will go into effect on july 8, 2024. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) received the 2024 commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi) prevailing wage study survey from the governor of the cnmi for the cw 1 program. oflc has approved the 2024 cnmi prevailing wage study survey for 432 occupations and will issue updated cw 1 prevailing wages using this data from july 1, 2024 through june 30, 2025. the updated wage table includes prevailing wage data for a total of 848 occupations. the office of foreign labor certification has published the latest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment and wage statistics (oews) as generated by the bureau of labor statistics for the new wage year from july 2024 through june 2025, effective july 1, 2024. prevailing wage determinations issued from the national prevailing wage center reflect the 2018 soc codes. flcdatacenter.com will be discontinued effective july 1, 2024. on july 1, 2024, prevailing wage data from the occupational employment and wage statistics survey will be available through the oflc wage search tool, which can be accessed via the flag website (https://flag.dol.gov/wage data/wage search). on november 15, 2021, the employment and training administration issued a federal register notice (frn) informing the public that the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) was updating appendix a to the preamble education and training categories by occupational information network (o*net) standard occupational classification (soc) occupations. appendix a is a list of professional occupations that serves as a guide for employers to distinguish between professional and non professional occupations in order to comply with the professional recruitment requirements of the perm program. the frn stated that oflc intends to review bls’s occupational and education data each year to publish a new list of occupations on its website, even when bls data remain the same from the previous year. oflc is releasing this year’s appendix a, which implements the new list of professional occupations for the july 2024 through june 2025 wage year and will be effective starting july 1, 2024. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the three day filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting a work start date of october 1, 2024, will open on july 3, 2024, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time, and close on july 5, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time. this three day period is the earliest an employer may file an application for an october 1, 2024, work start date, which is the first day of the semi annual visa allotment for the first half of fiscal year 2025. employers seeking start dates of october 2, 2024, or later must comply with the timeliness requirements at 20 cfr 655.15(b). in accordance with regulatory requirements and oflc’s standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting october 1, 2024, work start dates will be denied if they are filed before july 3, 2024, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. after the three day filing window has closed, oflc will randomly order applications for assignment to analysts for review and processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of october 1, 2024, that are filed during the three day filing window (july 3 5, 2024) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. the employment and training administration has published an frn updating the aewrs under the h 2a temporary agricultural employment program that apply to a limited set of h 2a job opportunities for which the aewr is determined using the bureau of labor statistics oews survey. these changes will go into effect, as stated in the frn, on july 8, 2024. the 2022 h 2a final rule, which became effective on november 14, 2022, implemented a new process for the oflc administrator’s determination of labor supply states (lss). lss are additional states in which an employer’s job order will be circulated and, if appropriate, where additional positive recruitment may be required of the employer. consistent with 20 cfr 655.154, the oflc administrator will solicit public input about lss and related recruitment mechanisms to make a determination that identifies whether there are areas of traditional or expected labor supply for each state with respect to the availability of qualified workers and the appropriate and effective means of recruiting those workers. the solicitation period will be open for a period of 60 days. the determination can include specific geographic area(s) of the united states in which a significant number of qualified workers have been identified and who, if recruited through additional positive employer recruitment activities, would be willing to make themselves available for work in the state. the oflc administrator will consider general information about labor flow trends (e.g., information contained in the agricultural recruitment clearance system) to inform a determination regarding expanded interstate circulation of h 2a job orders. to make a determination regarding labor supply and the positive recruitment needed to reach qualified workers within a state, the oflc administrator requests information from the public regarding the availability of qualified workers, and the appropriate, effective methods of contacting those workers. information that could be helpful to the oflc administrator’s determination include, but are not limited to, the following: all previously determined lss requirements will remain in full effect, unless the oflc administrator receives information indicating that a previous lss is no longer a source for qualified workers. deadline for public input: oflc is seeking information, and particularly welcomes specific information, on or before tuesday, august 13, 2024. how to submit information: oflc will only consider electronic submissions to the email box, h2alaborsupply@dol.gov, for making determinations as to the labor supply states. any submissions sent through mail or other correspondence will not be accepted. the oflc administrator will publish on the oflc website its determinations after careful review of all information received. in addition, the department will continue to satisfy its multi state recruitment statutory requirement, and the broader statutory obligation regarding u.s. worker availability, through a combination of other recruitment activities, including: on june 6, 2024, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc), wage and hour division, and the office of workforce investment conducted a webinar to provide information on the changes to the h 2a and wagner peyser employment service programs made by the 2024 farmworker protection final rule. the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlinks below and located on our website under the “webinars” tab at the bottom of the h 2a program page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs/h 2a. on thursday, june 6, 2024, the department of labor will host a public webinar to educate employers, agricultural associations, farm labor contractors, farmworkers, advocates, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2a and wagner peyser employment service programs made by the 2024 farmworker protection final rule. participants of this webinar will learn from the office of foreign labor certification, the office of workforce investment, and the wage and hour division about the key aspects of this rule. the final rule will become effective june 28, 2024, and oflc will begin accepting applications subject to the provisions of this rule on august 29, 2024. the meeting registration details are below. *please note: there is an attendee maximum of 3,000 and a recording of the presentation in english and spanish will be placed on our website at a later date. the department of labor is committed to equitable access and inclusion of all people. as part of this commitment, we will ensure that people with disabilities and those who need foreign language interpretation are provided accommodations and effective communications. if you require an accommodation or language interpretation to attend this event, please email stakeholder.meeting@dol.gov by may 30, 2024. meeting details: thursday, june 6, 20241:00 pm to 2:30 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr 30 mins attendee registration link: https://usdolevents.webex.com/weblink/register/r44a2f5821d38e0110dc82d0bdf90e437 the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the second quarter of fiscal year 2024) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2023 through march 31, 2024 reporting period of fiscal year 2024. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2023 through march 31, 2024. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the employment and training administration (eta) published a 60 day notice in the federal register announcing its intent to extend the office of foreign labor certification’s labor condition application (lca) forms and the wage and hour division’s wh 4 complaint form for three years. the department of labor (department) proposes extensions to the lca and wh 4 complaint forms, without changes. the information collection request includes the lca forms eta 9035, eta 9035e (electronic), eta 9035 & 9035e appendix a, eta 9035cp instructions, and the wh 4 complaint form. the federal register notice informs the public of the department’s three year extension request for the forms and invites comments from the public for 60 days. written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. the deadline to submit comments is friday, july 5, 2024. on march 26, 2024, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to provide an overview on common issues the national processing center has identified with cw 1 applications for temporary employment certification and offered filing tips that can minimize the common application errors. the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlinks below and located on our website under the “webinars” tab at the bottom of the cw 1 program page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs/cw 1. the office of foreign labor certification invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides technical assistance and helpful tips for preparing the cw 1 application for prevailing wage determination (form eta 9141c), the application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142c), and the cw 1 job vacancy announcement. the webinar will provide technical assistance to employers (and authorized attorneys or agents) on how to complete and submit forms eta 9141c and eta 9142c. the webinar also will cover some of the most pressing and common post filing issues employer’s encounter. march 26, 2024, 7:00 pm | eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr / march 27, 2024, 9:00am | chamorro standard time | 1 hr join from the meeting link:https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=mbdcbbf131fa5e49049090dd319724a93 join by meeting number:meeting number (access code): 2820 439 2712meeting password: cw1update2024 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only):1 877 465 7975, # us toll free+1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone:1 877 465 7975 us toll free1 210 795 0506 us toll on december 21, 2023, the employment and training administration (eta) published a request for information (rfi) in the federal register, soliciting public input on potential revisions to schedule a of the permanent labor certification process to include occupations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem), including artificial intelligence related occupations and non stem occupations, for which there may be an insufficient number of ready, willing, able, and qualified united states workers. in the rfi, eta invited public comment on “evaluating the utility of expanding schedule a to include stem occupations” and “input on the appropriate data sources and methods for determining whether labor shortages exist, whether schedule a should be used to alleviate any labor shortages in stem occupations should it be determined from these data sources and methods that such shortages exist, and if so, how the department could establish a reliable, objective, and transparent methodology for identifying stem occupations that are experiencing labor shortages.” 88 fr 88294. in addition, the rfi requested that interested parties answer a set of questions necessary to make this evaluation. to date, eta has received a very limited number of comments, only a few of which have responded to the questions posed in the rfi. the public comment period for this rfi was set to conclude on february 20, 2024, 60 days after publication of the rfi. due to the limited number of comments received and in response to a request from a stakeholder to extend the comment period, eta has issued a federal register notice extending the comment period until may 13, 2024, to ensure robust feedback from interested parties and to address the stakeholder’s request. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the first quarter of fiscal year 2024) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2023 through december 31, 2023 reporting period of fiscal year 2024. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2023 through december 31, 2023. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the employment and training administration has issued a notice in the federal register to announce the annual updated dollar amount h 2a employers may charge workers, other than workers in herding or production of livestock on the range occupations, for providing meals and the maximum and minimum rate at which h 2a and h 2b workers must be reimbursed for travel related subsistence expenses. the notice also includes a reminder of the continuing obligation of h 2a and h 2b employers to pay certain lodging and travel related expenses workers incur while traveling to and from h 2a and h 2b employment. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 8817 h 2b applications covering 138,847 worker positions with the start date of work of april 1, 2024. following the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, oflc completed the randomization process on january 4 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. on january 5, 2024, oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). view the assignment groups for h 2b applications submitted january 2 4, 2024. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting work start dates of april 1, 2024, or later, will open on january 2, 2024, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. following oflc's standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an april 1, 2024, work start date will be denied if they are filed before january 2, 2024, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2024, that are filed during the initial three calendar days (january 2 4, 2024) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. if oflc identifies multiple applications that appear to have been filed for the same job opportunity, oflc will issue a notice of deficiency. if multiple filings are submitted during the three day filing window, all applications will receive a notice of deficiency requesting that the employer demonstrate that the job opportunities are not the same. employers that fail to establish a bona fide need for each application will receive a non acceptance denial for each application. important reminder: employers are reminded that foreign labor application gateway (flag) system user accounts are solely for the use of the individual for whom they were created. sharing the same user account is forbidden and is grounds for terminating flag access. passwords or any other authentication mechanism should never be shared or stored in any place easily accessible. if stored, a password may not be stored in a clear text or readable format. the employment and training administration (eta) published a request for information (rfi) in the federal register. the publication of the rfi fulfills one of the president’s initiatives regarding artificial intelligence, as directed in section 5.1(e) of executive order 14110, safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence. eta is seeking information from the public to potentially consider revisions to schedule a of the permanent labor certification process to include occupations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem), including artificial intelligence related occupations and non stem occupations, for which there may be an insufficient number of ready, willing, able, and qualified united states workers. the rfi will provide the public an opportunity to address whether and why stem occupations should be added to schedule a, to offer information on which occupations should be considered as falling under the umbrella of stem, and to request data, studies, and related information that should be considered to establish a reliable, objective, and transparent methodology for identifying stem or non stem occupations with a significant shortage of workers that should be added to or removed from schedule a. to the extent possible and wherever appropriate, responses to this rfi should indicate the question number(s) and include specific information, data, statistical models and metrics, and any resources relied on in reaching conclusions for its claims, rather than relying on general observations. the employment and training administration has published a federal register notice (frn) announcing the new aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program. the aewr is the minimum wage rate the department of labor 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 of workers in the united states similarly employed will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new national monthly aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range, which will be effective as of january 1, 2024. the employment and training administration (eta) has published a federal register notice (frn) announcing the aewrs for the employment of non range h 2a job opportunities classified within one or more of the six common standard occupational classification (soc) codes that comprise the farm labor survey (fls) field and livestock workers (combined) category. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department of labor has determined must be offered, advertised in recruitment, and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular occupation and area so that the wages and working conditions of workers in the united states similarly employed will not be adversely affected. pursuant to the final rule published on february 28, 2023, which established a new methodology for setting hourly aewrs, the 2024 aewrs for all non range job opportunities in the field and livestock workers (combined) category, for which temporary h 2a certification is being sought, are equal to the annual average gross hourly wage rate for field and livestock workers (combined) in the state or region as published by the u.s. department of agriculture in the fls. important note: in the event an employer’s job opportunity requires the performance of agricultural labor or services that are not encompassed in a single soc code’s description and tasks, the applicable aewr will be the highest aewr for all applicable socs. see 20 cfr 655.120(b)(5). the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides best practices and helpful tips for preparing h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices). the webinar will discuss: this webinar will be recorded and posted to the oflc website along with presentation materials for future reference. please be advised there is a 1000 person participant limit to this webinar. *also note, if you are experiencing audio difficulties using a computer, please combine the presentation with the ”join by phone” details indicated below. details of the webinar are as follows:wednesday, december 13, 20231:00 pm | (utc 05:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr 30 mins join from the meeting link:https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m45d938f37e28fa3b7f7a75aa5a69b3dc join by meeting number:meeting number (access code): 2760 120 6665meeting password: h2b2023 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only):1 877 465 7975, us toll free+1 210 795 0506, us toll join by phone:1 877 465 7975 us toll free1 210 795 0506 us toll the 2022 h 2a final rule, effective on november 14, 2022, implemented a new process for the oflc administrator’s determination of labor supply states (lss). lss are additional states in which an employer’s job order will be circulated and, if appropriate, where additional recruitment may be required. on may 30, 2023, consistent with 20 cfr 655.154, the oflc administrator solicited public input for 60 days about lss and related recruitment mechanisms to make a determination that identifies whether there are areas of traditional or expected labor supply for each state with respect to the availability of qualified workers and the appropriate and effective means of recruiting those workers. this determination includes particular area(s) of the united states in which a significant number of qualified workers have been identified and who, if recruited through additional positive employer recruitment activities, would be willing to make themselves available for work in the state. the lss determination is effective as of the date of this announcement for employers who have not commenced recruitment after receiving a notice of acceptance. this determination will remain valid until the oflc administrator publishes a new determination on the oflc website as provided by 20 cfr 655.154(d). after consideration of the information received, the oflc administrator has determined that all current lss requirements will remain in full effect, with the following modifications: updated labor supply state information is available on oflc’s labor supply state page on the foreign labor application gateway (flag): the u.s. departments of labor and homeland security (dhs) have published a temporary final rule (tfr) increasing the numerical limitation on h 2b nonimmigrant visas to authorize the issuance of no more than 64,716 additional visas for fiscal year (fy) 2024 positions to employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. of the 64,716 visas available, up to 44,716 are limited to h 2b returning workers, and up to 20,000 are reserved for nationals of guatemala, el salvador, honduras, haiti, colombia, ecuador, or costa rica. the tfr provides additional protections for u.s. workers, flexibility for foreign workers, and additional recruitment requirements for certain employers. in support of this rule, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted the new form eta 9142 b caa 8 and the accompanying instructions. the tfr requires an employer to attest, among other things, to the fact that it is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap. dhs will not accept any h 2b petitions under provisions related to the fy 2024 supplemental numerical allocations after september 16, 2024, and will not approve any such h 2b petitions after september 30, 2024. the attestation is also available on the forms page of the oflc website at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms. please note: the tfr requires employers with a certified start date which is 30 or more days prior to the submission of their visa petition to uscis to engage in additional recruitment of u.s. workers. employers required to conduct additional recruitment must provide oflc with the case number for each temporary certification which will be used in support of a visa petition to uscis concurrently with their placement of new job orders with the state workforce agency. employers who must conduct this concurrent notification requirement are encouraged to notify oflc national processing center by sending an email to h2bsupplementalvisas@dol.gov, and including the words “h 2b tfr 2024 recruitment” followed by the unique temporary labor certification case number in the subject line of the email. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2022 through september 30, 2023 reporting period of fiscal year 2023. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2022 through september 30, 2023. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. on september 15, 2023, the department of labor (dol) published in the federal register a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) that would enhance worker protections in the h 2a program. on october 26, 2023, in response to several requests, dol published a letter on regulations.gov declining to extend the 60 day comment period for the nprm that will expire on november 14, 2023. the department of labor (dol) has published the notice of proposed rulemaking, improving protections for workers in temporary agricultural employment in the united states, in the federal register. comments on the proposed rule will be accepted through tuesday, november 14, 2023. the department and the office of foreign labor certification have posted additional information on the rule below: the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will implement the new form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification, beginning august 31, 2023. as a result, any initiated cases not submitted prior to 12:00 a.m. est on august 31, 2023, will be deleted and a new application using the revised form eta 9142b will need to be created. oflc is providing an advance copy of the form eta 9142b documents that will go live on august 31, so that our stakeholders can familiarize themselves with the revised forms: oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 4   labor condition application (lca/ eta form 9035/9035e), for the h 1b, h 1b1 and e 3 programs. as of the date of this announcement, oflc is rescinding in full all covid 19 frequently asked questions (faqs), which includes round 1 (published march 20, 2020); round 2 (published april 1, 2020); round 3 (published april 9, 2020); and round 4 (published june 3, 2020). the processing centers have resumed normal processing operations. all other faqs not related to covid 19 remain in full effect. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the third quarter of fiscal year 2023) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2022 through june 30, 2023 reporting period of fiscal year 2023. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2022 through june 30, 2023. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 6   h 2a labor contractors, associated with the publication of the final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (“2022 h 2a final rule”). the round 6 faqs provide stakeholders answers to questions on filing, work contracts with fixed site agricultural business clients, housing and/or transportation provided by fixed site agricultural business clients, farm labor contractor   farm labor contractor employee certificate(s) of registration, and surety bonds. the office of foreign labor certification has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs) regarding the final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states (“2023 aewr final rule”), which published on february 28, 2023. these round 2 faqs provide guidance on aewr determinations, including how a state workforce agency (swa) and the certifying officer (co) determine which aewr applies to a job opportunity, how swas and cos determine the aewr for job duties with multiple standard occupational classification codes, and the impact of certain job duties on aewrs. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment groups for 2,157 h 2b applications covering 40,947 worker positions with a work start date of october 1, 2023. oflc completed the randomization process on july 6 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. one additional assignment group was created for the remaining applications and associated worker positions. each filing was randomly given a unique number in accordance with oflc's randomization process and placed into a group for assignment to analysts for review and processing. on july 6, 2023 oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase public engagement, oflc's national prevailing wage center will host a two hour webinar on tuesday, july 11, 2023, to provide general filing tips and trends for the prevailing wage determination process in the permanent and labor condition application programs. please be advised the webinar is available to a maximum of 1000 participants but will be recorded and posted to our website for future reference. tuesday, july 11, 2023: 2:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 2 hrs. join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m45bd80f62c5fe8efab26dd877c3f96f3 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2760 709 2233 meeting password: pwd2023! tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27607092233@usdol.webex.com the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) received the 2023 commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi) prevailing wage study survey from the governor of the cnmi for the cw 1 program. oflc has approved the 2023 cnmi prevailing wage study survey for 417 occupations and will issue updated cw 1 prevailing wages using this data from july 1, 2023 through june 30, 2024. the updated wage table includes prevailing wage data for a total of 848 occupations. the employment and training administration (eta) published a notice in the federal register (frn) on june 16, 2023, updating the aewrs under the h 2a temporary agricultural employment program that apply to a limited set of h 2a job opportunities for which the aewr is determined using the bureau of labor statistics oews survey. the 2023 aewr final rule methodology uses the oews to set aewrs for non range h 2a job opportunities that are either: (1) not classified within one of the six standard occupational classification codes that comprise the u.s. department of agriculture’s farm labor survey (fls) field and livestock workers (combined) category or (2) located in states or regions, or equivalent districts or territories, for which the fls does not report a wage. 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 for a particular occupation and area so that the wages and working conditions of similarly employed workers in the united states will not be adversely affected. this frn provides oews based aewrs for (1) the field and livestock workers (combined) category in alaska, the district of columbia, guam, puerto rico, and the u.s. virgin islands and for (2) job opportunities outside of the field and livestock (combined) category throughout the united states and its territories. eta will publish a separate frn in december 2023 providing updated aewrs for field and livestock workers (combined) category in the 49 states for which the fls provides data, which will be released in late november 2023. updated information will be made available on oflc’s aewr page on the foreign labor application gateway (flag) on july 1, 2023, at 12:01am. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the three day filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting a work start date of october 1, 2023, will open on july 3, 2023, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time, and close on july 5, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time. this three day period is the earliest an employer may file an application for an october 1, 2023, work start date, which is the first day of the semi annual visa allotment for the first half of fiscal year 2024. employers seeking start dates of october 2, 2023, or later must comply with the timeliness requirements at 20 cfr 655.15(b). in accordance with regulatory requirements and oflc’s standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting october 1, 2023, work start dates will be denied if they are filed before july 3, 2023, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. after the three day filing window has closed, oflc will randomly order applications for assignment to analysts for review and processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of october 1, 2023, that are filed during the three day filing window (july 3 5, 2023) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. the office of foreign labor certification has published the latest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment and wage statistics (oews) as generated by the bureau of labor statistics for the new wage year from july 2023 through june 2024, effective july 1, 2023. prevailing wage determinations issued from the national prevailing wage center reflect the 2018 soc codes. on november 15, 2021, the employment and training administration issued a federal register notice (frn) informing the public that the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) was updating appendix a to the preamble education and training categories by occupational information network (o*net) standard occupational classification (soc) occupations. appendix a is a list of professional occupations that serves as a guide for employers to distinguish between professional and non professional occupations in order to comply with the professional recruitment requirements of the perm program. the frn stated that oflc intends to review bls’s occupational and education data each year to publish a new list of occupations on its website, even when bls data remain the same from the previous year. oflc is releasing this year’s appendix a, which implements the new list of professional occupations for the july 2023 through june 2024 wage year and will be effective starting july 1, 2023. the employment and training administration has published an frn updating the aewrs under the h 2a temporary agricultural employment program that apply to a limited set of h 2a job opportunities for which the aewr is determined using the bureau of labor statistics oews survey. these changes will go into effect, as stated in the frn, on july 1, 2023. the office of foreign labor certification expects to publish additional information on its website on june 30, 2023, regarding the information provided in the frn. the 2022 h 2a final rule, effective on november 14, 2022, implemented a new process for the oflc administrator’s determination of labor supply states (i.e., additional states in which an employer’s job order will be circulated and, if appropriate, where additional recruitment may be required). annually, under 20 cfr 655.154(d), the oflc administrator will gather and review public input about labor supply and related recruitment mechanisms and will publish a labor supply state determination on the oflc website. the oflc administrator’s determination will identify with respect to each state whether there are other traditional or expected labor supply states. where appropriate, within a traditional or expected labor supply state, the determination will identify particular area(s) in which a significant number of qualified workers located in the united states have been identified, who if recruited through positive employer recruitment activities, would be willing to make themselves available for work in the state. the labor supply state determination will become effective on the date of publication for employers who have not commenced recruitment after receiving a notice of acceptance. the determination will remain valid until the oflc administrator publishes a new determination on the website. the oflc administrator will consider general information about labor flow trends (e.g., information contained in the agricultural recruitment clearance system) to inform a determination regarding expanded interstate circulation of h 2a job orders. to make a determination regarding labor supply and the positive recruitment needed to reach qualified workers within a state, the oflc administrator requests information from the public regarding the availability of qualified workers, and the appropriate, effective means of recruiting those workers. information that could be helpful to the oflc administrator’s determination include, but are not limited to, the following: oflc is seeking information, and particularly welcomes specific information, on or before monday, july 31, 2023. how to submit information: oflc will only consider electronic submissions to the email box, h2alaborsupply@dol.gov, for making determinations as to the labor supply states. any submissions sent through mail or other correspondence will not be accepted. the oflc administrator will make and publish on the oflc website its determinations after careful review of all information received. oflc previously announced a delay to the date on which it will transition perm submission and processing to the foreign labor application gateway (flag) and the concurrent implementation of the revised form eta 9089. in response to stakeholder requests, oflc used this delay to work with the department’s office of chief information officer to provide filers the option to link prevailing wage determinations to a perm application where users no longer have access to the flag account from which the prevailing wage request was submitted. information and guidance on how to use this option can be found in the addendum to the form eta 9089 user guide on the perm program page on flag. as stated in oflc’s announcement on may 11, 2023, oflc will not accept applications in the legacy perm online system after 6:59 pm est on may 31, 2023, however, mailed in applications post marked on or before may 31, 2023, will be accepted in the legacy system. the perm module in flag will be fully deployed on june 1, 2023. please note: the external submission functionality in the perm online system is the only part of the system which will be disabled on may 31, 2023, at 6:59 pm est; the perm online system will otherwise remain operational. users who have pending applications in the legacy perm online system can still upload responsive documents to an audit request or request for information, withdraw applications, request reconsideration or appeal, and use the help desk inquiry system as normal. filers have been able to use the case creation functionality in the perm module in the foreign labor access gateway (flag) since april 24, 2023. during the time that functionality has been available, oflc has received and reviewed numerous help desk inquiries pertaining to the filing of the revised version of form eta 9089. as a reminder, oflc does not provide case specific guidance on the filing procedures. each case has its own specific requirements and circumstances. oflc strongly encourages all applicants to review the perm regulations, the frequently asked questions (faqs), and the instructions to the form eta 9089 for general guidance. oflc will continue to review received help desk inquiries and will provide additional guidance in the form of new faqs. oflc has identified one question which has been so commonly received we believe it should be addressed prior to the perm module in flag being fully deployed to prevent confusion when filers try to submit perm applications. q: i’m filling out work experience in appendix a.e   foreign worker work experience. what should i enter for the 'end date' when the worker is presently working for the employer? a: you can enter the current month and year for when you’re completing the application. make sure to select "yes" to question 1.j. present. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the second quarter of fiscal year 2023) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2022 through march 31, 2023 reporting period of fiscal year 2023. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2022 through march 31, 2023. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. following up on the announcements of april 21, april 27, may 1, and may 8, 2023, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is postponing the date for filers to begin submitting the new, revised applications for permanent employment certification and cw 1 applications for temporary employment certification in the foreign labor application gateway (flag) from may 16, 2023, to june 1, 2023. applicants should continue to use the current perm and cw 1 forms until such time. as a result of the transition to the revised version of the form and the transition to flag, oflc will no longer accept any new applications submitted via the legacy perm online system after may 31, 2023, at 6:59 pm eastern standard time. oflc will no longer accept the previous version of form eta 9089 or forms eta 9141c/9142c, and their related forms, after may 31, 2023, either electronically or submitted by mail. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will begin accepting the revised cw 1 temporary employment certification program’s forms, appendices and general instructions on may 16, 2023. in anticipation of the revised form eta 9142c, cw 1 application for temporary employment certification, form eta 9141c, application for prevailing wage determination, general instructions, and associated appendices a, b, and c, going into effect, oflc is publishing an unofficial, watermarked preview copy of these documents to permit filers to become familiar with the revised forms and related documents. oflc is also providing an unofficial version of the form eta 9142c, final determination, to allow the public to view what they will see upon an application being certified. important note: the form and appendices located at the hyperlinks below are for informational purposes only. these versions of the forms, instructions and appendices may not be submitted to oflc at any time; any submission to oflc using these forms will be rejected. oflc will post on its forms page (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms) official, fillable, and 508 compatible pdf versions of the form eta 9142c, form eta 9141c, their general instructions and appendices a, b, and c on may 16, 2023, which is the first day the revised forms will be accepted. in april 2023, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted three webinars to provide stakeholder updates on: developments on the new adverse effect wage rate rule in the h 2a program; an update to the new perm form eta 9089; and an update on the modernization of the perm program. the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlinks below and under the "webinars" tabs at the bottom of the respective program pages on our website located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs. presentation materials for the h 2a program new aewr rule: presentation materials for the perm program: the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will begin accepting the revised form eta 9089 in the on may 16, 2023, but filers are currently permitted to prepare perm applications in the foreign labor application gateway which may be submitted on that date. in anticipation of the revised form eta 9089, instructions, and its appendices, going into effect, oflc is publishing an unofficial, watermarked preview copy of the form and its appendices to permit filers to become familiar with the revised form. oflc is also providing an unofficial version of the form eta 9089, final determination, to allow the public to view what they will see upon an application being certified. important note: the form and appendices located at the hyperlinks below are for informational purposes only. these versions of the form and appendices may not be submitted to oflc at any time; any submission to oflc using these forms will be rejected. oflc will post on its forms page (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms) official, fillable, and 508 compatible .pdf versions of the form eta 9089 and its appendices on may 16, 2023, which is the first day the revised form eta 9089 will be accepted. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will begin accepting the revised form eta 9089, applications for permanent employment certification in the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system on may 16, 2023. filers may begin creating and staging applications in the flag system on april 24, 2023. as a result of the transition to the revised version of the form and the transition to flag, oflc will no longer accept any new applications submitted via the legacy perm online system after may 15, 2023, at 6:59 pm eastern standard time. oflc will no longer accept the previous version of form eta 9089 after may 15, 2023, either electronically or submitted by mail. to facilitate this transition, oflc conducted two webinars on april 19 and april 20, 2023, to educate the stakeholder community on the new form and flag system filing process. oflc will make recordings of these webinars available shortly. oflc is posting an announcement regarding recent permanent labor certification applications that were denied where the employer did not explicitly answer the question in field h.10 b. oflc has thoroughly reviewed past and current permanent labor certification (perm) applications with respect to how question h.10 b on the form eta 9089 has been completed. as a result of this review, oflc concluded that some employers have not consistently answered the question accurately by providing acceptable alternate job titles; rather, they include statements such as "see h.14   special skills." the information provided in h.14 does not identify what alternate occupations are acceptable to meet the experience requirements for the job that is the subject of the perm application. instead, the application only lists a series of the special skills requirements and/or other alternative combinations of education and experience that the employer is willing to accept. as a result of employers providing insufficient information in either h.10 b. or h.14, oflc has recently denied applications for being incomplete. oflc evaluated these denials and determined that while they are appropriate, it has not been consistent about when it denies an application for this reason, which could confuse filers. as a result, oflc has stopped issuing denials for this issue for pending applications and will not deny for this reason for any application submitted on or before may 30, 2023, by which point oflc expects to be accepting the updated version of form eta 9089 in the foreign labor application gateway system. further, oflc will overturn denials based solely on this issue. oflc will identify applications that were denied for this issue and for which reconsideration has not yet been requested; employers whose applications have been denied solely for this reason and have not yet requested consideration are encouraged not to submit a request for reconsideration. where reconsideration has been requested, oflc will prioritize processing for any pending reconsideration requests based on denials where this is the only denial issue. in cases that have been denied for additional denial reasons, oflc will overturn the h.10 b. denial reason but uphold the denial on the other grounds if either the employer has not submitted a request for reconsideration for the additional denial reason(s) or where the additional denial ground(s) are determined to be proper. oflc recognizes that as it transitions to the updated version of form eta 9089, which will incorporate form eta 9141 into perm applications, there may be questions about whether employers should alter how they complete form eta 9141 as a result of this announcement. oflc is considering that issue and will issue guidance in the near future if we determine that such guidance is necessary. the office of foreign labor certification will host an instructional webinar to provide a technical demonstration to employers and authorized attorneys or agents on how to prepare the form eta 9089 using the new perm online filing system. meeting details: thursday, april 20, 2023: 2:00   4:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 2 hrs join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m4fa5cb03fe8c8e4505fe040a080cbe01 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2764 934 4206 meeting password: perm2023 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) 1 877 465 7975 us toll free +1 210 795 0506 us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27649344206@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number. the office of foreign labor certification invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides an overview of the new form eta   9089, which will be utilized in the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system. the overview will provide information on the changes to the form, and instructions on how to fill out the new perm application. meeting details: wednesday, april 19, 2023: 1:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr 30 min webex link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m461fa546077764af5dd5af96060f280a join by meeting number meeting number: 2761 848 9806 password: eta9089 join by video system dial 27618489806@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number. join by phone 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll access code: 2761 848 9806 global call in numbers | toll free calling restrictions the office of foreign labor certification invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides an overview of the new adverse effect wage rate (aewr) rule and gives the stakeholder community an opportunity to familiarize itself with the regulatory changes. the webinar will discuss the methodology behind the new aewr rule and prepare examples of how it will be applied. meeting details: tuesday, april 4, 2023: 3:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr 30 mins join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m186d9be8a696067a5ab821f7d23b1e0d join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2763 980 8196 meeting password: 2023aewr tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application dial 27639808196@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number. on march 20, 2023, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to provide an overview on common issues the national processing center has identified with cw 1 applications for temporary employment certification and offered filing tips that can minimize the common application errors. the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlinks below and located on our website under the “webinars” tab at the bottom of the cw 1 program page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs/cw 1. oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 5   joint employers, associated with the publication of the final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (“2022 h 2a final rule”). on december 15, 2022, the department of labor (department) and department of homeland security (dhs) published a temporary final rule (tfr) increasing the numerical limitation on h 2b nonimmigrant visas to authorize the issuance of no more than 64,716 additional visas for fiscal year (fy) 2023 positions to employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase (“fy 2023 cap”). of the 64,716 visas available, up to 44,716 are limited to h 2b returning workers, and up to 20,000 are reserved for nationals of guatemala, el salvador, honduras, and haiti. the fy 2023 cap has been allocated in the following manner: dhs will make available 20,000 additional visas that are reserved for foreign nationals of the northern triangle countries, or haiti, as attested by the petitioner (regardless of whether such nationals are returning workers). these 20,000 visas will be available for petitioners requesting an employment start date before the end of fy 2023, up to and including september 30, 2023. the tfr provides additional protections for u.s. workers, flexibility for foreign workers, and additional recruitment requirements for certain employers. this is the first year a tfr has been published covering both h 2b cap periods, so the department is reminding employers who may now be considering accessing authorized the supplemental visas about those protections, flexibilities and requirements. the tfr requires employers to complete the department’s form eta 9142 b caa 7, which includes an attestation that the employer is suffering from or will suffer irreparable harm without the ability to hire all of the h 2b workers requested on the form i 129 submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) and that it has evidence to support its claim of irreparable harm which it will submit to the department or dhs upon request. employers with a certified start date 30 or more days prior to submitting their petition to uscis must attest that they conducted additional recruitment, including working with american job centers and state workforce agencies for recruitment assistance, provide notice of the job opportunity at worksites or to bargaining representatives, and where the occupation is traditionally or customarily unionized, provide written notification of the job opportunity to the nearest american federation of labor and congress of industrial organizations (afl cio) office covering the area of intended employment. when contacting the afl cio, employers must provide a copy of the job order and request assistance in recruiting qualified u.s. workers for the job opportunity. employers must also contact and rehire former employees, including those who were laid off or furloughed since january 1, 2021. the tfr further requires employers to attest that they will comply with health and safety laws and laws related to covid 19 worker protections and any right to time off or paid time off for covid 19 vaccination, or to reimbursement for travel to and from the nearest available vaccination site, and that they will notify any h 2b workers, in a language the workers understand, as necessary or reasonable, that they have equal access to covid 19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites. the tfr once again includes a portability provision which provides h 2b workers and their employers more flexibility by allowing h 2b workers to more quickly, change employers and avoid disruptions and uncertainty in visa processing and travel caused by covid 19. please note: the tfr requires employers with a certified start date which is 30 or more days prior to the submission of their visa petition to uscis to engage in additional recruitment of u.s. workers. employers required to conduct additional recruitment must provide the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) with the case number for each temporary certification which will be used in support of a visa petition to uscis concurrently with their placement of new job orders with the state workforce agency. employers who must conduct this concurrent notification requirement are encouraged to notify oflc by sending an email to h 2bsupplementalvisas@dol.gov, and including the words “h 2b tfr 2023 recruitment” followed by the unique tlc case number in the subject line of the email. the office of foreign labor certification invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides technical assistance and helpful tips for preparing the cw 1 application for prevailing wage determination (form eta 9141c) and the application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142c). the webinar will provide technical assistance to employers (and authorized attorneys or agents) on how to complete and submit forms eta 9141c and eta 9142c and cover some of the most pressing post filing issues employers encounter. meeting details: march 20, 2023 7:00 pm | (utc 05:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr / march 21, 2023 9:00am | (utc+10:00) chamorro standard time | 1 hr join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m09be869a77a13aa13dd691296393fff7 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2763 487 7128 meeting password: cw1update tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs) regarding the final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, (“2023 aewr final rule”), which published on february 28, 2023. the faqs address implementation of the final rule, including explanations of the major changes in aewr methodology, information on when and where new aewrs have been posted and will be posted in the future, how to determine the aewr that applies, and how future aewr adjustments will impact employer obligations on adjusting pay rates in existing contracts. the u.s. department of labor (department) has published a final rule that amends its regulations regarding the methodology used to determine the adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for non range agricultural occupations in the h 2a visa program. the new methodology will result in aewrs that better protect against adverse effect on the wages of workers in the united states similarly employed, while providing stability and predictability for employers in complying with their wage obligations. for the vast majority of h 2a job opportunities, the rule does not change the methodology that has been in place since 1987, which uses the annual average gross hourly wage for field and livestock workers (combined) for the state or region, as reported by the u.s. department of agriculture’s farm labor survey (fls), whenever such wage data is available. the methodology results in a single statewide hourly aewr, adjusted annually, for all h 2a job opportunities in six standard occupational classification (soc) codes within the field and livestock worker (combined) category. for h 2a job opportunities that require performance of duties outside the six field and livestock workers (combined) soc codes, the rule introduces a new methodology, which uses the annual average gross hourly wage for each soc code, as reported by the bureau of labor statistics’ occupational employment and wage statistics survey. this methodology will yield a statewide hourly aewr, adjusted annually, for each soc code outside the six field and livestock workers (combined) soc codes. the new methodology will apply to h 2a job orders submitted for non range occupations beginning on march 30, 2023. oflc will post additional information and guidance to stakeholders in the form of frequently asked questions on this website. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the first quarter of fiscal year 2023) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2022 through december 31, 2022 reporting period of fiscal year 2023. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2022 through december 31, 2022. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the employment and training administration has issued a notice in the federal register to announce the annual updated dollar amount h 2a employers may charge workers, other than workers in herding or production of livestock on the range occupations, for providing meals and the maximum and minimum rate at which h 2a and h 2b workers must be reimbursed for travel related subsistence expenses. the notice also includes a reminder of the continuing obligation of h 2a and h 2b employers to pay certain lodging and travel related expenses workers incur while traveling to and from h 2a and h 2b employment. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 8,693 h 2b applications covering 142,796 worker positions with the start date of work of april 1, 2023. following the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, oflc completed the randomization process on january 4 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. six additional assignment groups were created for the remaining applications, each of which includes no more than 20,000 worker positions. on january 4, 2023, oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). view the assignment groups for h 2b applications submitted january 1 3, 2023 the office of foreign labor certification has completed the randomization process to randomly assign all h 2b applications submitted during the initial three day filing window, january 1 3, 2023, requesting an april 1, 2023, work start date for the second half of the fiscal year 2023 h 2b statutory visa cap. oflc received a total of 8,693 h 2b applications requesting 142,796 worker positions during this filing period. oflc will be providing written notification to employers (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) with their h 2b assignment group. on january 9, 2023, oflc will also publish on its website the list of the h 2b applications assigned to each assignment group. oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 4   h 2a application filing and processing, associated with the publication of the final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (“2022 h 2a final rule”). the office of foreign labor certification has received omb approval for the form eta 9142 b caa 7, attestation for employers seeking to employ h 2b nonimmigrant workers under section 204 of division o of the consolidated appropriations act, 2022, public law 117 103, and public law 117 180. employers seeking to obtain h 2b nonimmigrant workers under the fy2023 cap increase must complete this form and submit to uscis. the form and its instructions are now available for immediate public use at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms. for more information, please see oflc’s december 15, 2022, website announcement. the employment and training administration has published a notice in the federal register announcing the new aewr for occupations involving herding or production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department of labor has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment to help ensure the department meets its statutory obligation to certify that the employment of h 2a foreign workers will not adversely effect the wages of agricultural workers in the u.s. similarly employed. the notice announces the new national monthly aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range. the employment and training administration has published a notice in the federal register announcing the aewrs for the employment of 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 the department of labor has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment to help ensure the department meets its statutory obligation to certify that the employment of h 2a foreign workers will not adversely effect the wages of agricultural workers in the u.s. similarly employed. the notice announces the new hourly aewrs by state, for all agricultural employment (except for occupations involving herding or production of livestock on the range, which is covered by 20 cfr 655.200 235). pursuant to the district court’s order in united farm workers, et al. v. u.s. dep’t of labor, et al., no. 20 cv 01690, 2022 wl 1004855 (e.d. cal. april 4, 2022) , which vacated the department’s 2020 aewr final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, 85 fr 70445 (nov. 5, 2020) and remanded the rule to the department for further rulemaking, the new hourly aewrs are set according to the methodology in the 2010 rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a aliens in the united states, 75 fr 6884 (feb. 12, 2010). the new hourly aewrs are equal to the annual weighted average hourly wage rate for field and livestock workers (combined) in the state or region as published by the u.s. department of agriculture in the farm labor report. in addition, the average aewr across all surveyed states constitutes the average aewr, which is used to calculate adjustments to required bond amounts for h 2a labor contractors. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting work start dates of april 1, 2023, or later, will open on january 1, 2023, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. following oflc’s standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an april 1, 2023, work start date will be denied if they are filed before january 1, 2023, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2023, that are filed during the initial three calendar days (january 1 3, 2023) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. each day, from january 3, 2023 through january 6, 2023, oflc will publish on the foreign labor application gateway system website the number of h 2b applications it has received to date and the total number of requested worker positions on those applications. on december 7, 2022, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to update stakeholders on the process for filing h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2023, or later. this webinar also provided best practices and helpful tips for preparing and submitting h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) using the foreign labor application gateway system. the presentation materials are now available on the h 2b temporary non agriculture program page of the oflc website and at the hyperlink below. important reminder: employers should file only one application for the same job opportunity. with limited exception, under 20 cfr 655.15(f), only one application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) may be filed for worksite(s) within one area of intended employment for each job opportunity with an employer for each period of employment. oflc will only review and process the application that was filed first, according to its timestamp. if oflc identifies multiple applications that appear to have been filed for the same job opportunity, oflc will consider the first application filed in timestamp order   irrespective of randomization group assignments   as the official application submitted by (or on behalf of) the employer. oflc will issue a notice of deficiency on the first application reviewed (i.e., the application that is randomized closest to the top of the processing order) to require the employer to establish a bona fide need for all potentially duplicative applications. employers that fail to establish a bona fide need for each of the applications will receive a non acceptance denial for each application identified as a duplicate and received after the application that was filed first. employers should make any necessary corrections or amendments to the first application filed. for further information on requesting a correction or amendment of an h 2b application before issuance of a final determination, please refer to h 2b frequently asked questions round 11. the u.s. departments of labor and homeland security have published a temporary final rule (tfr) increasing the numerical limitation on h 2b nonimmigrant visas to authorize the issuance of no more than 64,716 additional visas for fiscal year (fy) 2023 positions to employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. of the 64,716 visas available, up to 44,716 are limited to h 2b returning workers, and up to 20,000 are reserved for nationals of the northern triangle countries (guatemala, el salvador, and honduras) and haiti. the tfr provides additional protections for u.s. workers, flexibility for foreign workers, and additional recruitment requirements for certain employers. in support of this rule, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted the new form eta 9142 b caa 7 and the accompanying instructions. the tfr requires an employer to attest, among other things, to the fact that it is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap on or before september 15, 2023. upon omb providing final approval, oflc will issue a separate announcement informing the public that the form eta 9142 b caa 7 is available for immediate public use. please note: the tfr requires employers with a certified start date which is 30 or more days prior to the submission of their visa petition to uscis to engage in additional recruitment of u.s. workers. employers required to conduct additional recruitment must provide oflc with the case number for each temporary certification which will be used in support of a visa petition to uscis concurrently with their placement of new job orders with the state workforce agency. employers who must conduct this concurrent notification requirement are encouraged to notify oflc npc by sending an email to h 2bsupplementalvisas@dol.gov, and including the words “h 2b tfr 2023 recruitment” followed by the unique tlc case number in the subject line of the email. oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 3   job offers, assurances, and obligations   wages, associated with the publication of the final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (“2022 h 2a final rule”). the wage and hour division (whd) is also posting guidance and information regarding h 2a program obligations, requirements, and compliance under the 2022 h 2a final rule. for example, fact sheets posted on whd’s website provide general information about recruitment, notifications, wages, and housing. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides best practices and helpful tips for preparing h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices). the webinar will discuss: • regulatory timeframes and filing requirements for h 2b applications with a start date of need of april 1, 2023, or later; • procedures oflc uses to randomly select h 2b applications for review and processing; • helpful hints and reminders to avoid deficiencies during application process. this webinar will be recorded and posted to the oflc website along with presentation materials for future reference. please be advised there is a 1000 person participant limit to this webinar. *also note, if you are experiencing audio difficulties using a computer, please combine the presentation with the ”join by phone” details indicated below. details of the webinar are as follows: wednesday, december 7, 2022: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm | (utc 05:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m826dbe7a51c4c60ea13e22638f270822 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2764 494 5346 meeting password: h2bupdate2022 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975,,27644945346## us toll free +1 210 795 0506,,27644945346## us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27644945346@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number. the department of labor (department) published the current h 2b regulations, temporary non agricultural employment of h 2b aliens in the united states, as an interim final rule with the department of homeland security (dhs) on april 29, 2015. 80 fr 24042. with the interim final rule, the department created a separate h 2b registration process to determine whether an employer has a temporary need for nonagricultural services or labor, subject to review by dhs as the final arbiter of temporary need. the interim final rule stated the registration process would be implemented through the publication of a notice in the federal register. the department has not implemented the h 2b registration process. on november 2, 2022, the u.s. district court for the central district of california issued an order in padilla construction company, et. al. v. martin j. walsh, et. al., no. 2:18 cv 1214 (c.d. cal. nov. 2, 2022). under the order, the department will propose to rescind h 2b registration requirements contained in 20 cfr 655.11 and 655.12 and propose conforming edits throughout its h 2b regulations at 20 cfr part 655, subpart a to remove references to the h 2b registration process through future notice and comment procedures. in the interim, the department will use the notice of acceptance (noa), which is issued when an h 2b application meets regulatory requirements and is permitted to commence recruitment of u.s. workers, to inform an h 2b employer of the department’s determination on its temporary need for services or labor. where an employer is determined to have a temporary need for services or labor, the noa will provide the employer with a unique temporary need registration number, which may remain active for up to three years and which will be considered as one piece of evidence during the department’s adjudication of the employer’s temporary need in future application filings. the department will use a notice of deficiency to inform an h 2b employer when its temporary need for an application filing is in question, to request additional information, and also to inform an employer of deactivation of its temporary need registration number if the number has expired or if it appears that the employer no longer demonstrates a temporary need. for more information, please see the district court’s order below. important note: this announcement of the department’s future proposal to rescind h 2b registration requirements will not affect h 2b application filings for the 2023 peak application filing season for the second half visa cap. the u.s. department of labor previously announced that it intends to engage in additional rulemaking concerning the h 2a visa program for temporary agricultural employment of foreign workers. the department will consider new ways to support worker voice and promote employer accountability. as we review the department’s h 2a regulations, we are eager to hear from stakeholders that represent diverse interests and perspectives. the department of labor initially announced it would conduct two virtual listening sessions, one for employers and their representatives and another for workers and their advocates to gather input about possible changes to the h 2a regulations. the department has added two additional listening sessions. each listening session will offer the opportunity to give input into the possible rulemaking, so participants need attend only one session. our goals are to listen, engage the public, and hear from many voices who could be impacted by potential changes to the regulations. we are interested in hearing about the experiences of workers and employers, so we encourage worker and employer representatives to include their members’ perspectives in their remarks or to invite workers or employers to share their experiences directly. we invite you to join the virtual listening sessions for worker and employer representatives with department of labor officials. please find below the breakdown and registration links to each of the sessions: these are public events. registrants will be emailed a zoom link one day before the event begins. please note that if you have already registered for a session, you do not need to register again. if you require an accommodation or language interpretation to attend this listening session, please email whd events@dol.gov at least five (5) business days prior to the event so we can make arrangements. please direct any questions to whd events@dol.gov. oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), prevailing wage surveys, associated with the publication of the final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (“2022 h 2a final rule”). the u.s. department of labor previously announced that it intends to engage in additional rulemaking concerning the h 2a visa program for temporary agricultural employment of foreign workers. the department will consider new ways to support worker voice and promote employer accountability. as we begin a review of the department’s h 2a regulations, we are eager to hear from stakeholders that represent diverse interests and perspectives. the department of labor will conduct two virtual listening sessions, one for employers and their representatives and another for workers and their advocates to gather input about possible changes to the h 2a regulations. our goals are to listen, engage the public, and hear from many voices who could be impacted by potential changes to the regulations. we are interested in hearing about the experiences of workers and employers, so we encourage worker and employer representatives to include their members’ perspectives in their remarks or to invite workers or employers to share their experiences directly. we invite you to join the virtual listening session for worker and employer representatives with department of labor officials. please find below the breakdown and registration links to each of the sessions: these are public events. registrants will be emailed a zoom link one day before the event begins. if you require an accommodation or language interpretation to attend this listening session, please email whd events@dol.gov at least five (5) business days prior to the event so we can make arrangements. please direct any questions to whd events@dol.gov. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the final quarter of fiscal year 2022) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2021 through september 30, 2022 reporting period of fiscal year 2022. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2021 through september 30, 2022. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. on november 17, 2022, the department of labor’s office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will host a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2a program made by the h 2a 2022 final rule. the provisions adopted in this final rule strengthen protections for agricultural workers, enhance enforcement to prevent fraud and abuse, and simplify and modernize the h 2a application, temporary labor certification, and the prevailing wage determination processes. this presentation will provide a detailed overview of how the 2022 h 2a rule will affect filing and processing including preparations to the flag filing system, reviewing changes to eta forms 790/ 790a and 9142a, calculating surety bonds, and additional topics. this webinar will be recorded and posted to the oflc website along with presentation materials for future reference. please be advised there is a 1000 person participant limit to this webinar. *please note, if you are experiencing audio difficulties using a computer, please combine the presentation with the ”join by phone” details indicated below. meeting details: thursday, november 17, 2022: 2:00 pm   3:30 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 2 hrs join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=mf83cd84e497e3b27d31101d7b95df9a7 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2761 874 1502 meeting password: h2aupdate2022 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27618741502@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number. oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 2   job order filing and processing, associated with the publication of the final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (“2022 h 2a final rule”). as part of its stakeholder outreach program, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) announces the following informational webinars to educate the filing community on changes to the h 2a and h 2b programs. the login and presentation details for the first presentation on october 27, 2022 are below. specific details such as the login information and presentation description will be posted to our website prior to each event. please note, dates and times in this schedule may change. on october 27, 2022, the department of labor will host a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2a program made by the h 2a 2022 final rule. participants of this webinar will learn from office of foreign labor certification (oflc) and wage and hour division (whd) about the key changes between the 2010 h 2a rule and the 2022 h 2a rule in areas such as wage source adjustments during the contract period, housing standards and certification, joint employment, surety bonds for h 2a labor contractors, debarment, plus other topics. the final rule will become effective on november 14, 2022. this webinar slides will be posted to the oflc website along with presentation materials for future reference. please be advised there is a 1000 person participant limit to this webinar. thursday, october 27, 2022: 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m81d506103efc0faee6d4643bea3ec826 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2761 532 6669 meeting password: oflcwhdh2a2022 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27615326669@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number the u.s. department of labor has published a final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (“2022 h 2a final rule” or “final rule”), that revises its regulations governing the certification of employment of nonimmigrant workers in temporary agricultural employment and the enforcement of obligations applicable to employers of h 2a workers and workers in the united states similarly employed. in recent years, the department has engaged in rulemaking to propose changes to the h 2a temporary labor certification (tlc) program after nearly 10 years administering the program under the 2010 final rule. see notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm), temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states, 84 fr 36168 (july 26, 2019). after consideration of comments received in response to the nprm, the department separated the nprm’s proposals into two rulemaking activities. the first, which encompasses all of the nprm’s proposals except the aewr methodology, culminated this final rule. the second will address changes to the aewr methodology. see 86 fr 68174 (dec. 1, 2021). the provisions adopted in this final rule strengthen protections for agricultural workers, enhance enforcement to prevent fraud and abuse, and simplify and modernize the h 2a application and tlc process and the prevailing wage determination process. to help stakeholders better understand the final rule, oflc has issued a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 1   implementation, which further explain technical details as to dates of implementation and transition dates between the 2010 and 2022 h 2a final rules. information on stakeholder engagements (e.g., webinars) and of the issuance of additional faq rounds on other topics will be forthcoming. the department of labor has announced the impending publication of a final rule to amend h 2a temporary labor certification regulations (“2022 h 2a final rule”) to strengthen agricultural worker protections, and to update the h 2a application and temporary labor certification and prevailing wage determination processes. the final rule will be published in the federal register on october 12, 2022. the h 2a program allows employers to address temporary labor needs by employing foreign agricultural workers when there are not sufficient workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available, and when doing so will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers similarly employed in the u.s. the office of foreign labor certification will post additional announcements regarding the official publication and implementation of the 2022 h 2a final rule. oflc has issued disaster guidance regarding reasonable case accommodations in light of the damage done by hurricane ian. the employment and training administration’s office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published a notice in the federal register announcing draft frequently asked questions (faqs) guidance for the h 2a temporary agricultural program titled, round 17: temporary or seasonal need assessments; relevant information or factors related to h 2a labor contractors (h 2alcs) operating in an area of intended employment (aie) where agricultural production may occur year round. see 87 fr 58374. the draft guidance pertains to the department of labor’s (department) assessment of the nature of an employer’s need for agricultural labor or services during oflc’s review of the form eta 9142a, h 2a application for temporary employment certification. oflc developed this draft guidance, and is publishing it for public comment, consistent with a directive from the secretary of labor for interpretive guidance clarifying how the department assesses an h 2a employer’s need for agricultural labor or services to determine whether the employer has demonstrated a need of a temporary or seasonal nature, as required for h 2a certification. oflc invites written comments from the public on the draft faqs to further inform the development of guidance regarding oflc’s assessment of temporary or seasonal need for the h 2a program. the draft guidance is accessible at the following link: the public may submit written comments on the draft faqs through october 26, 2022. you may comment by using one of the following means: oflc will review all written comments that are timely submitted in the manner specified above, make any changes it determines are appropriate, and will publish final faqs through a future federal register notice and on this website. to keep the public informed regarding the development and modernization of the department of labor (dol) office of foreign labor certification (oflc) efforts to enhance and improve customers experience and security in the permanent labor certification program, oflc was awarded an investment from the technology modernization fund (tmf). for additional information, please see the link to the gsa announcement tmf invests in improving public facing services, bolstering cybersecurity | gsa. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the third quarter of fiscal year 2022) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2021 through june 30, 2022 reporting period of fiscal year 2022. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the third quarter of fiscal year 2022 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2021 through june 30, 2022. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 1,360 h 2b applications covering 29,856 worker positions with a work start date of october 1, 2022. since the number of the h 2b applications received during the three day filing window collectively requested fewer worker positions for certification than the number of visas available under the semi annual visa allotment for the first half of fiscal year 2022, all h 2b applications filed within that time period that requested workers starting october 1, 2022, were randomly given a unique number in accordance with oflc's randomization process and placed into the same group for assignment to analysts for review and processing. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) received the 2022 commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi) prevailing wage study survey from the governor of the commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi) for the cw 1 program. oflc has approved the 2022 cnmi prevailing wage study survey for 409 occupations and will issue updated cw 1 prevailing wages using this data from july 1, 2022 through june 30, 2023. the updated wage table includes prevailing wage data for a total of 848 occupations. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published the latest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment and wage statistics (oews) as generated by the bureau of labor statistics for the new wage year from july 2022 through june 2023. oflc is implementing the 2018 standard occupational classification (soc) codes starting with this july 2022 through june 2023 wage year, and thereafter. the effective date is july 1, 2022. prevailing wage determinations issued by the national prevailing wage center from that date forward will reflect the new 2018 soc codes. on november 15, 2021, the employment and training administration issued a federal register notice (frn) informing the public that the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) was updating appendix a to the preamble education and training categories by occupational information network (o*net) standard occupational classification (soc) occupations. appendix a is a list of professional occupations that serves as a guide for employers to distinguish between professional and non professional occupations in order to comply with the professional recruitment requirements of the perm program. the frn stated that oflc intends to review bls’s occupational and education data each year to publish a new list of occupations on its website, even when bls data remain the same from the previous year. oflc is releasing this year’s appendix a, implementing the new list of professional occupations, effective july 1, 2022. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the three day filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting a work start date of october 1, 2022, will open on july 3, 2022, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time, and close on july 5, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time. this three day period is the earliest an employer may file an application for october 1, 2022, work start date, which is the first day of the semi annual visa allotment for the first half of fiscal year 2022. employers seeking start dates of october 2, 2022, or later must comply with the timeliness requirements at 20 cfr 655.15(b). in accordance with regulatory requirements and oflc’s standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting october 1, 2022, the work start date will be denied if they are filed before july 3, 2022, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for assignment to analysts for review and processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of october 1, 2022, that are filed during the three day filing window (july 3 5, 2022) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase public engagement, oflc's national prevailing wage center (npwc) hosted a two hour webinar on the implementation of the 2018 standard occupational classification (soc) system. these materials are now available to view on the prevailing wage information and resources tab located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/wages the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published a 60 day paperwork reduction act (pra) federal register notice (frn) relating to the application for prevailing wage determination information collection request (icr) (omb control number 1205 0508). oflc is seeking a three year approval of the information collection and related retention requirements associated with the form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination; form eta 9141, general instructions; form eta 9141, appendix a, request for additional worksite(s); form eta 9165, employer provided survey attestations to accompany h 2b prevailing wage determination request based on a non oes survey; and form eta 9165, general instructions. the information collection approved under this icr ensures employers provide information about their job opportunities and terms of employment necessary to determine prevailing wages. the frn notifies the public of oflc’s proposed minor revisions to the form eta 9141, form eta 9165, and accompanying instructions, and provides the public the opportunity to comment for 60 days. written comments must be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided in the frn. the deadline to submit comments is august 15, 2022. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase public engagement, oflc's national prevailing wage center (npwc) will host a two hour webinar on the implementation of the 2018 standard occupational classification (soc) system. oflc will begin using the 2018 soc system on july 1, 2022, in place of the 2010 soc system. since september 1999, the soc has been used by the occupational employment and wage statistics program to classify occupational wage information. the soc provides a common language for categorizing occupations, and serves as the framework for information being gathered through the department of labor's occupational information network (o*net). the nwpc will present background, an implementation timeline, and review how the new classification will affect prevailing wage determinations (pwd). this event will be recorded and all materials will be placed on the prevailing wage tab of the oflc’s website for future access. meeting details: tuesday, june 21, 2022: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 2 hrs join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=mae0bb38ca3b94fa8441fe78aeb9c58b0 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2764 951 1301 meeting password: pwdsoc2022 tap to join from a mobile device: 1 877 465 7975, us toll free +1 210 795 0506, us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27649511301@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number the u.s. departments of labor and homeland security published a temporary final rule (tfr) increasing the numerical limitation on h 2b nonimmigrant visas for fiscal year (fy) 2022 positions with start dates on or after april 1, 2022, through september 30, 2022. the tfr included additional recruitment requirements for certain employers, including the requirement that where the occupation or industry is traditionally or customarily unionized, “the employer must contact (by mail, email or other effective means) the nearest american federation of labor and congress of industrial organizations [afl cio] office covering the area of intended employment and provide written notice of the job opportunity, by providing a copy of the job order placed pursuant to (a)(5)(i) of this section, and request assistance in recruiting qualified u.s. workers for the job.” 20 cfr § 655.65(a)(5)(iii). as stated in the tfr, examples of such contact include emailing the job order, along with a request for assistance to recruit workers, to the appropriate afl cio office or mailing such materials to the appropriate afl cio office. to aid employers who must conduct this additional recruitment step, one effective means of contacting the nearest afl cio office covering the area of intended employment is to email the job order and request for assistance to: h 2b@aflcio.org or contacting the national afl cio by mail at the following address: afl cio attn: h 2b 815 black lives matter plaza nw washington, dc 20005 these materials will then be distributed to the most appropriate local office serving the area of intended employment for that job opportunity. employers are encouraged to contact the afl cio using the email or mailing address above, though contact directly with the afl cio office covering the area of intended employment is also acceptable. employers are reminded to retain documentation of contact with the afl cio as required under 20 cfr § 655.66. the u.s. departments of labor and homeland security have published a temporary final rule (tfr) increasing the numerical limitation on h 2b nonimmigrant visas to authorize the issuance of no more than 35,000 additional visas for fiscal year (fy) 2022 positions with start dates on or after april 1, 2022 through september 30, 2022, to employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. of the 35,000 visas available, up to 23,500 are limited to h 2b returning workers, and up to 11,500 are reserved for nationals of the northern triangle countries (guatemala, el salvador, and honduras) and haiti. the tfr provides additional protections for u.s. workers, flexibility for foreign workers, and additional recruitment requirements for certain employers. in support of this rule, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted the new form eta 9142 b caa 6 and the accompanying instructions. the tfr requires an employer to attest, among other things, to the fact that it is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap on or before september 30, 2022. the attestation is available on the forms page of the oflc website at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the second quarter of fiscal year 2022) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2021 through march 31, 2022 reporting period of fiscal year 2022. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2021 through march 31, 2022. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. on april 19, the oflc hosted a webinar providing tips and assistance for stakeholders on the process of filing form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination, for the permanent and labor condition programs. webinar recordings and presentation materials are available on the program page indicated below. • recording and presentation are located under the “webinars” tab on the prevailing wage information and resources page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/wages the foreign labor application gateway (flag) will implement technical improvements to h 2b filing that will improve the form eta 9142b submission process today. flag will upgrade the h 2b form fill and submit module, which is expected to reduce lag time in completing form fields, document uploads, and appendices. all other flag h 2b functionality will be available to filers in the upgraded fill and submit module. h 2b submissions after 6:00 p.m. est on april 28, 2022, must be initiated and submitted in the new form module. as a result, any initiated h 2b cases submitted prior to 6:00 p.m. est on april 28, 2022, will be deleted and a new application using the upgraded module will need to be created. the office of foreign labor certification invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides technical assistance and helpful tips for preparing application for prevailing wage determination (form eta 9141) for the permanent and labor condition application programs, for both occupational employment and wage statistics (oews) and non oews (e.g., survey) prevailing wage requests. this webinar will provide employers, attorneys, and agents) helpful hints and cover some of the most pressing post filing issues employers encounter to complete and submit the form eta 9141. tuesday, april 19, 2022: 1:00 pm | (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 2 hrs join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=md3b091db57f90723beba58ea9e3519ec join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2761 956 3529 meeting password: pwdapril2022 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27619563529@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number the foreign labor application gateway (flag) will implement technical improvements to h 2b filing that will improve the form eta 9142b submission process. flag will upgrade the h 2b form fill and submit module, which is expected to reduce lag time in completing form fields, document uploads, and appendices. all other flag h 2b functionality will be available to filers in the upgraded fill and submit module. h 2b submissions after 6:00 p.m. est on april 28, 2022, must be initiated and submitted in the new form module. as a result, any initiated h 2b cases submitted prior to 6:00 p.m. est on april 28, 2022, will be deleted and a new application using the upgraded module will need to be created. on march 22, the oflc hosted a webinar providing tips and assistance for stakeholders in the cw 1 temporary certification program and, on march 23, for stakeholders interesting in h 2b prevailing wages and surveys. webinar recordings and presentation materials are available at the respective program pages as indicated below. march 22, 2022: cw 1 common issues and filing tips • recording and presentation are located under the “webinar” on the cw 1 program page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs/cw 1 march 23, 2022: h 2b prevailing wage determination general filing tips and survey 101 for surveyors • recording and presentation are located under the “webinar” on the prevailing wage information and resources page located here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/wages as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc's national prevailing wage center will host a two hour webinar on wednesday march 23rd, 2022. the first half of the presentation will provide general filing tips and trends for the h 2b prevailing wage determination process. the second half will educate surveyors on h 2b survey concepts. meeting details: march 23rd, 2:00 pm   4:00 pm wednesday, mar 23 2022 (utc 04:00) eastern time (us & canada) join by meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m1a39dca607bc5f8ba506c492f4b5876f join by meeting number: 2764 944 2824 password:h2bpwd2022 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll access code: 2764 944 2824 the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about the number of temporary labor certifications and worker positions issued for the h 2b program. as of march 1, 2022, oflc has issued 2,785 h 2b temporary labor certifications covering 47,414 worker positions. filers who have received a temporary labor certification may file a petition with the u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis). oflc will continue to process h 2b applications, regardless of any h 2b visa cap administered by uscis. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about the number of temporary labor certifications and worker positions issued for the h 2b program. as of march 1, 2022, oflc has issued 2,785 h 2b temporary labor certifications covering 47,414 worker positions. filers who have received a temporary labor certification may file a petition with the u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis). oflc will continue to process h 2b applications, regardless of any h 2b visa cap administered by uscis. the office of foreign labor certification invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides technical assistance and helpful tips for preparing the cw 1 application for prevailing wage determination (form eta 9141c) and the application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142c). the webinar will provide technical assistance to employers (and authorized attorneys or agents) on how to complete and submit forms eta 9141c and eta 9142c and cover some of the most pressing post filing issues employers encounter. meeting details: march 22nd, 2022 7:00 pm | (utc 05:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr / march 23rd, 2022 9:00am | (utc+10:00) chamorro standard time | 1 hr join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m139d0b6e2dea354913bbc9b36aabe7e2 join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2763 487 7128 meeting password: cw1update tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free +1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll the employment and training administration has issued a notice in the federal register to announce the annual update to the allowable charges that employers seeking h 2a workers, in occupations other than herding and production of livestock on the range, may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the first quarter of fiscal year 2022) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2021 through december 31, 2021 reporting period of fiscal year 2022. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2021 through december 31, 2021. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the u.s. departments of labor and homeland security have published a temporary final rule authorizing an increase of up to 20,000 additional h 2b visas for fiscal year 2022 positions with start dates on or before march 31, 2022, for employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. the supplemental visas will be limited to h 2b returning workers, with the exception of up to 6,500 visas reserved for h 2b workers who are nationals of the northern triangle countries or haiti. the rule provides additional protections for u.s. workers, flexibility for foreign workers, and additional recruitment requirements for certain employers. in support of this rule, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted the new form eta 9142 b caa 5 and the accompanying instructions. the temporary rule requires an employer to attest, among others, to the fact that it is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested under the cap increase. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap before march 31, 2022. the attestation is available on the forms page of the oflc website found at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms. initially launched in december 2018, seasonaljobs.dol.gov is a mobile friendly online portal that leverages the latest technologies to broaden dissemination of available temporary and seasonal job opportunities for which u.s. workers may be interested in applying. staff representing the department’s office of the chief information officer (ocio) will provide interested stakeholders with a technical demonstration of the search features and other functions available on seasonaljobs.dol.gov, describe how often new job listings are posted, and the differences between active and inactive job postings. the ocio staff will also demonstrate how to search and use the website to locate active and inactive job postings, and how to report any technical problems or issues users encounter on the website. the presentation will explain additional features such as where to find and how to use real time “data feeds” available through seasonaljobs.dol.gov and viewing job postings in spanish via microsoft’s translator service. details of the webinar are as follows: thursday, february 3, 2022: 2:00 pm | (utc 05:00) eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hour join from the meeting link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m73c15574407909c5c48ba3c0a2b1fafd join by meeting number: meeting number (access code): 2761 407 8618; meeting password: seasonaljobs2021 tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): 1 877 465 7975 # us toll free; 1 210 795 0506 # us toll join by phone: 1 877 465 7975 us toll free; 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application: dial 27614078618@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number. the employment and training administration (eta) published a 60 day notice in the federal register announcing its proposal to revise the information collection for the office of foreign labor certification’s form eta 9142b, application for temporary employment certification, its accompanying appendices, related forms, and instructions. the federal register notice informs the public of the department of labor’s request for three year approval of the forms and invites comments from the public for 60 days. written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. the deadline to submit comments is march 14, 2022. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 7,875 h 2b applications covering 136,555 worker positions with the start date of work of april 1, 2022. following the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, oflc completed the randomization process on january 4 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. six additional assignment groups were created for the remaining applications, each of which includes no more than 20,000 worker positions. on january 4, 2022, oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). the office of foreign labor certification has completed the randomization process to randomly assign all h 2b applications submitted during the initial three day filing window, january 1 3, 2022, requesting an april 1, 2022, work start date for the second half of the fiscal year 2022 h 2b statutory visa cap. oflc received a total of 7,875 h 2b applications requesting 136,555 worker positions during this filing period. oflc will be providing written notification to employers (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) with their h 2b assignment group. on january 7, 2022, oflc will also publish on its website the list of the h 2b applications assigned to each assignment group. the employment and training administration (eta) has posted a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), related to the wage disclosure and calculation requirements for agricultural clearance orders, including in the h 2a temporary labor certification program. these faqs remind state workforce agencies that they are obligated under the wagner peyser act regulations at 20 cfr 653.501 to check an employer’s piece rate offer, estimated in hourly wage rate equivalents for each activity and unit size, when reviewing the forms eta 790a and 790b (collectively referred to as “agricultural clearance orders”) and to clarify related wage disclosure and calculation requirements of these forms for employers. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting work start dates of april 1, 2022, or later, will open on january 1, 2022, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. following oflc’s standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an april 1, 2022, work start date will be denied if they are filed before january 1, 2022, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2022, that are filed during the initial three calendar days (january 1 3, 2022) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. each day, from january 2, 2022 through january 4, 2022, oflc will publish on the foreign labor application gateway system website the number of h 2b applications it has received to date and the total number of requested worker positions on those applications. the department of labor (department) has published a final rule in the federal register that amends its regulations regarding the adjudication of temporary need for employers seeking herding or production of livestock on the range job opportunities under the h 2a program. consistent with the court approved settlement agreement in hispanic affairs project, et al. v. perez et al., no. 15 cv 1562 (d.d.c.), the department published a notice of proposed rulemaking on may 6, 2021 that proposed to rescind the regulation governing the period of need for such job opportunities to ensure the department’s adjudication of temporary or seasonal need is conducted in the same manner for all applications for temporary agricultural labor certification. the department invited public comment on the proposal until june 7, 2021. after consideration of the public comments received, the department has adopted the proposal as final. for more information, please see the link below. the employment and training administration has published a notice in the federal register announcing the new aewr for occupations involving herding or production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program. the aewr is the minimum wage rate the department of labor has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of workers in the u.s. similarly employed will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new national monthly aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range. the employment and training administration has published a notice in the federal register announcing the aewrs for the employment of 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 and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular occupation and area so that the wages and working conditions of similarly employed workers in the united states will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new hourly aewrs by state, for all agricultural employment (except for occupations involving herding or production of livestock on the range, which is covered by 20 cfr 655.200 235). pursuant to the district court’s orders in united farm workers, et al. v. u.s. dep’t of labor, et al., no. 20 cv 1690 (e.d. cal.), which enjoined the department from implementing the 2020 aewr final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, 85 fr 70445 (nov. 5, 2020), and ordered the department to operate under the 2010 rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a aliens in the united states, 75 fr 6884 (feb. 12, 2010), the new hourly aewrs are set according to the methodology in the 2010 rule and are equal to the annual weighted average hourly wage rate for field and livestock workers (combined) in the state or region as published by the u.s. department of agriculture in the farm labor report. the employment and training administration’s (eta) office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has issued a final rule informing the public that oflc is amending the code of federal regulations (cfr), at 20 cfr 655.731 and 656.40, to remove text added through an interim final rule (ifr), strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain immigrants and non immigrants in the united states, 85 fr 63872 (oct. 8, 2020). oflc published the ifr with an immediate effective date, bypassing notice and comment, but requested public input during a post promulgation 30 day public comment period. four groups of plaintiffs separately challenged the ifr, and it was subsequently set aside or enjoined by three district courts on procedural grounds. on january 14, 2021, after consideration of public comments, oflc published a final rule (fr) adopting a revised version of the ifr. 86 fr 3608. on june 23, 2021, before the fr took effect, a federal district court entered an order vacating and remanding the fr. in response to the order, the department published this final rule to restore the regulatory text to appear as it did before the ifr’s effective date. on december 7, 2021, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to update stakeholders on the process for filing h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2022, or later. this webinar also provided best practices and helpful tips for preparing and submitting h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) using the foreign labor application gateway system. the presentation materials are now available on the h 2b temporary non agriculture program page of the oflc website and at the hyperlink below. important reminder: employers should file only one application for the same job opportunity. with limited exception, under 20 cfr 655.15(f), only one application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) may be filed for worksite(s) within one area of intended employment for each job opportunity with an employer for each period of employment. oflc will only review and process the application that was filed first, according to its timestamp. if oflc identifies multiple applications that appear to have been filed for the same job opportunity, oflc will consider the first application filed in timestamp order   irrespective of randomization group assignments   as the official application submitted by (or on behalf of) the employer. oflc will issue a notice of deficiency on the first application reviewed (i.e., the application that is randomized closest to the top of the processing order) to require the employer to establish a bona fide need for all potentially duplicative applications. employers that fail to establish a bona fide need for each of the applications will receive a non acceptance denial for each application identified as a duplicate and received after the application that was filed first. employers should make any necessary corrections or amendments to the first application filed. for further information on requesting a correction or amendment of an h 2b application before issuance of a final determination, please refer to h 2b frequently asked questions round 11. the u.s. department of labor has published a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) that proposes revisions to the methodology used to determine the adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for non range agricultural occupations in the h 2a visa program. the aewr determination methodology proposed in the nprm will strike a reasonable balance between the statute’s competing goals of providing employers with an adequate legal supply of agricultural labor and protecting the wages and working conditions of u.s. workers similarly employed. the nprm proposes to determine aewrs using wage data reported by the u.s. department of agriculture’s farm labor survey (fls) and the department’s bureau of labor statistics occupational employment and wage statistics (oews) survey. for the six occupations comprising the field and livestock worker (combined) category within the fls, which constitute the majority of h 2a job opportunities, the nprm proposes to set a single aewr using the annual average hourly wage for field and livestock workers (combined) for the state or region, as determined by the fls. for all other job opportunities, and in circumstances where the fls does not report wage data for the field and livestock worker occupations, the nprm proposes to use oews wage data to set the aewr at the statewide annual average hourly wage for the occupational classification, or the national annual average hourly wage if statewide data is unavailable. november 29, 2021. oflc announces webinar on december 7, 2021, to update stakeholders on the process for filing h 2b applications with a start date of april 1, 2022, or later the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides best practices and helpful tips for preparing h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices). the webinar will discuss: details of the webinar are as follows: tuesday, december 7, 2021: 2:00 pm | eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hr join from the meeting link https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m799336e30be63f0c7567f2d5bd7ef01a join by meeting number meeting number (access code): 2760 511 6481; meeting password: h2bpeak tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) 1 877 465 7975, # us toll free; 1 210 795 0506, # us toll join by phone 1 877 465 7975 us toll free; 1 210 795 0506 us toll please note: webinars are limited to 1,000 participants on november 24, 2021, the united states department of agriculture (usda) issued the farm labor survey (fls) report in which it established the average annual wage rates, by region and the united states, for field and livestock workers. the department of labor (department) relies on the average annual combined hourly wage for field and livestock workers in order to establish the adverse effect wage rates (aewr) in the h 2a program. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of workers similarly employed in the united states will not be adversely affected. the department is reviewing the usda fls average annual wage rates for 2022 and will soon publish a notice in the federal register announcing new aewrs for each state. to obtain more information on the national agricultural statistic service (nass) surveys and reports, please call the nass agricultural statistics hotline at (800) 727 9540, 7:30 a.m. est to 4:00 p.m. est, or email nass@usda.gov. initially launched in december 2018, seasonaljobs.dol.gov is a mobile friendly online portal that leverages the latest technologies to broaden dissemination of available temporary and seasonal job opportunities for which u.s. workers may be interested in applying. on november 19, 2021, oflc implemented several enhancements designed to improve customer service and broaden u.s. worker access to available job opportunities. first, seasonaljobs.dol.gov now makes information about h 2a and h 2b job opportunities more accessible to u.s. workers with limited english proficiency by offering a spanish translation of both the website content and specific terms and conditions of the job opportunity. second, to facilitate broader dissemination of available job opportunities, oflc has significantly expanded the amount of job information available to any third party (e.g., job search websites) through data feeds, which can be extracted daily and indexed for further advertising to u.s. workers. and finally, a new customer feedback feature is available that allows any person visiting the website to quickly report a defect or offer an idea or suggestion for improving the functional capabilities of the website. to learn more about these new enhancements, please visit seasonaljobs.dol.gov. the employment and training administration issued a federal register notice informing the public that the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is updating appendix a to the preamble education and training categories by occupational information network (o*net) standard occupational classification (soc) occupations. appendix a is a list of professional occupations that serves as a guide for employers to distinguish between professional and non professional occupations in order to comply with the professional recruitment requirements of the perm program. the frn notifies the public that the list of occupations in appendix a will be updated based on bls’s current occupational and corresponding education data. in particular, oflc will publish the updated list of occupations on its website, and intends to review bls data each year to publish a new list of occupations on its website, even when bls data remain the same from the previous year. in addition, this frn announces procedures oflc will apply in situations where o*net job zone data are not yet available as o*net transitions to the 2018 soc occupations. the department of labor (department or dol) continues to recognize that obtaining a reliable workforce is crucial to meeting the temporary or seasonal labor needs of american businesses. the department also recognizes how important it is to help americans get back to work. we are committed to building a modern, inclusive workforce   ensuring all workers have good jobs, fair wages and working conditions, and opportunities for advancement. the immigration and nationality act (ina) sets the cap on the annual number of non citizens who may be issued h 2b visas or otherwise provided h 2b nonimmigrant status to perform temporary non agricultural work at 66,000, to be distributed semi annually beginning in october and april (h 2b cap). the department of homeland security’s (dhs) united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) has the statutory responsibility for determining whether the h 2b cap has been reached in each semi annual period based on the number of h 2b petitions it receives. on october 12, 2021, uscis announced that on september 30, 2021 it had reached the congressionally mandated cap for h 2b visas for temporary nonagricultural workers for the first half of the fy 2022. except where the h 2b petition qualifies for an exemption from the statutory visa cap, uscis is currently rejecting new cap subject petitions received after september 30, 2021 that request an employment start date before april 1, 2022. while the 33,000 h 2b cap for the first half of fy 2022 has been reached, we encourage every employer seeking workers to visit the almost 2,400 american job centers (ajc) nationwide to find and hire talented workers, as well as to train and retain qualified workers. additionally, the department recognizes the incredible value of our nation’s veterans and encourages tapping into their skills and talents. there are veteran employment representatives in every ajc across the country who can assist businesses and veterans with their employment needs. you may also consider working with the department’s veterans’ employment and training service to facilitate recruitment efforts in the veteran community. again, we understand the importance of this issue to both workers and employers. in recent years, congress has enacted a series of public laws that provided the secretary of homeland security with time limited, discretionary authority to increase the h 2b cap beyond the number set forth in the ina after consultation with the secretary of labor. the department will continue working collaboratively with our partners at dhs in an ongoing effort to ensure effective operation of the h 2b program. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2020, through september 30, 2021, reporting period of fiscal year 2021. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021 for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2020, through september 30, 2021. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the office of foreign labor certification has posted a set of frequently asked questions (faqs), round 15, related to h 2a labor contractor filing requirements in the h 2a temporary labor certification program. these faqs address questions related to obtaining a farm labor contractor and/or farm labor contractor employee certificate of registration from the department’s wage and hour division as well as submitting evidence to the certifying officer of authorization to perform all farm labor contracting activities that will be done under the h 2a application for temporary employment certification. please click here for guidance regarding reasonable case accommodations in light of the damage done by hurricane ida. as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the flag system was implemented to improve customer service and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. on august 16, 2021, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) released several important enhancements to the flag system that improves accessibility to oflc case decisions, reduces the burden associated with completing requests for prevailing wage determinations, and enhances a system user’s ability to manage their requests for labor certification. specifically, the flag system features a new “notification center” within the user account that provides real time access to oflc decisions, and permits users to quickly upload responses and view documents associated with the labor certification application. additionally, users have an ability to “reuse” a previously filed form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination, which will save the employer significant time and burden by pre populating key sections of the previous application into a new request. finally, flag system account users will have new options for re assigning cases among other authorized users within their account network in order to better manage the labor certification applications under oflc review. more detailed information explaining these updates can be found on the flag site including user guides and a video. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the third quarter of fiscal year 2021) drawn from employer applications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. please note: oflc recently implemented the revised form eta 9141, as a result there will be two distinct pw disclosure data files along with two distinct worksites files. these files will each have their own record layout documents. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2020, through june 30, 2021, reporting period of fiscal year 2021. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the third quarter of fiscal year 2021 for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2020, through june 30, 2021, reporting period of fy 2021. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the employment and training administration issued a federal register notice informing the public that the office of foreign labor certification’s (oflc) mailing address for its atlanta national processing center (anpc) will be changing beginning august 25, 2021, with the exception of mail associated with the processing of applications requesting permanent labor certification subject to supervised recruitment. effective august 25, 2021, any mail, including u.s. postal service and other courier mail or parcel delivery packages, etc., sent to anpc must be submitted to the following new mailing address: u.s. department of labor, employment and training administration, office of foreign labor certification, 200 constitution avenue, nw, room n 5311, washington, dc 20210. the one exception is mail associated with supervised recruitment under 20 cfr 656.21, which must continue to be submitted to: u.s. department of labor, employment and training administration, office of foreign labor certification, atlanta national processing center, attn: supervised recruitment, p.o. box 56625, atlanta, ga 30343. employers are reminded to adhere to regulatory requirements at 20 cfr 656.10(d), including providing anpc’s correct new mailing address, specified above, on the notice of filing (nof) that must be posted when employers file a form eta 9089, application for permanent employment certification. if the required 10 day posting period for a nof commences after september 5, 2021, employers must include the new mailing address contained in the notice. 20 cfr 656.10(d)(3)(iii). the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released round 3 of frequently asked questions (faqs) from the national prevailing wage center (npwc) to respond to inquiries from the april 27, 2021, webinar on implementing the revised form eta 9141. the revised form eta 9141 provides a separate section to be completed by employers who accept alternative job requirements in addition to the minimum job requirements. the new alternative job requirements section: (1) improves npwc’s ability to ensure that prevailing wages provided to employers and listed on the form eta 9089 do not adversely affect u.s. workers and support a valid labor market test in instances where the alternative requirements would result in a higher wage; and (2) reduces employers’ burden of completing a separate form eta 9141 for each set of requirements. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 873 h 2b applications covering 21,116 worker positions with a work start date of october 1, 2021. since the number of the h 2b applications received during the three day filing window collectively requested fewer worker positions for certification than the number of visas available under the semi annual visa allotment for the first half of fiscal year 2022, all h 2b applications filed within that time period that requested workers starting october 1, 2021, were randomly given a unique number in accordance with oflc's randomization process and placed into the same group for assignment to analysts for review and processing. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) completed the randomization process to randomly assign to analysts for review and processing all h 2b applications submitted during the three day filing window, july 3 5, 2021, requesting an october 1, 2021, work start date. during this filing period, oflc received a total of 873 h 2b applications requesting 21,116 worker positions for work beginning on october 1, 2021. oflc will be providing written notification to employers (and, if applicable, the employer's authorized attorney or agent) with their h 2b assignment group. on july 9, 2021, oflc will also publish the list of the h 2b applications assigned to each assignment group on its website.​ during the three day filing window (july 3 5, 2021) of the h 2b peak filing season, employers filed 873 applications in the flag system requesting more than 21,116 worker positions with an october 1, 2021, work start date. on july 6, 2021, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) plans to randomly order all applications requesting a work start date of october 1, 2021, that were submitted during the three day filing window. oflc will use the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, to randomize the applications for assignment to analysts for review and processing.​ on december 23, 2020, the u.s. district court for the eastern district of california issued an order in united farm workers, et al. v. dol, et al., no. 20 cv 01690, enjoining the department of labor (department or dol) from implementing its final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology (aewr) for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, 85 fr 70445 (nov. 5, 2020), and ordering the department to operate under the 2010 rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a aliens in the united states, 75 fr 6884 (feb. 12, 2010). on january 15, 2021, in compliance with an order issued by the court on january 12, the department notified state workforce agencies (swas), employers, and the general public that all h 2a job orders filed on or after december 21, 2020, in accordance with 20 cfr 655.121  including job orders filed concurrently with an application for temporary employment certification with the oflc national processing center for emergency situations under 20 cfr 655.134  were required to use the 2020 aewrs in effect on december 20, 2020, until the publication of the 2021 aewrs in the federal register. consistent with the court’s january 12, 2021 order, the department further notified all swas, employers, and the general public that employers submitting job orders and applications between december 21, 2020, and publication of the final 2021 aewrs may be required to pay the wage differential between the 2020 and 2021 aewrs. additionally, the department reminded employers of their regulatory obligation to maintain accurate and adequate earnings records (see 20 cfr 655.122(j)), including the names and permanent home addresses of all h 2a workers, and make reasonable efforts to ensure that such information for each worker remains current. on february 23, 2021, the department published the 2021 aewrs as a notice in the federal register with an immediate effective date (86 fr 10996). on may 14, 2021, the court issued an order requiring h 2a employers that submitted job orders and applications between december 21, 2020, and february 23, 2021, to pay the wage differential between the 2020 and 2021 aewrs to all h 2a workers and u.s. workers in corresponding employment for work performed between january 15, 2021, and february 23, 2021. on june 11, 2021, the court issued an amended order clarifying that the obligation to pay the wage differential applies to all employers that filed either a job order or an application between december 21, 2020, and february 23, 2021. the court directed the department to provide notice of its order to all swas, employers, and the general public. accordingly, the department provides the following notice: finally, consistent with the amended order, all h 2a employers covered by the court’s order must certify compliance with the wage adjustment requirement to dol by taking the following steps: step 1 prepare a statement of compliance, signed and dated by the employer, certifying that the required wage adjustment payments were made to all qualifying h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment on or before saturday, september 4, 2021. the statement must include the dol h 2a case number; number of h 2a workers issued the required wage adjustment; number of u.s. workers in corresponding employment issued the required wage adjustment; and the date(s) on which the required wage adjustments were made to the workers. step 2 send a copy of the signed and dated statement of compliance to oflc using the following email address: h 2a.backpaycerts.2021@dol.gov step 3 retain the original signed and dated statement of compliance and a copy of the receipt confirmation email received from oflc. important note: h 2a employers must review the equitable restitution obligation specified in the court’s order and determine whether h 2a workers or workers in corresponding employment actually performed any work from january 15, 2021, to february 23, 2021, and received an hourly wage below the geographically applicable 2021 aewr. to assist h 2a employers in determining whether they may be covered by the court’s order, dol has sought to identify all h 2a applications granted temporary labor certification in a non range occupation where either the form eta 790/790a or form eta 9142a was submitted between december 21, 2020, and february 23, 2021, and the certified period of work included at least one (1) calendar day from january 15, 2021, to february 23, 2021. to see the list of potentially covered h 2a employers, click here. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) received the 2021 commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi) prevailing wage study survey from the governor of the commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi) for the cw 1 program. oflc has approved the 2021 cnmi prevailing wage study survey for 373 occupations and will issue updated cw 1 prevailing wages using this data from july 1, 2021, through june 30, 2022. the updated wage table includes prevailing wage data for a total of 820 occupations. on june 23, 2021, the u.s. district court for the northern district of california issued an order in chamber of commerce, et al. v. dhs, et al., no. 20 cv 7331, vacating the final rule, strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, 86 fr 3608 (jan. 14, 2021), and remanding the matter back to the u.s. department of labor (the department). the department published the final rule on january 14, 2021, following district court orders that set aside an october 8, 2020 interim final rule (ifr) (85 fr 63872). the final rule amended the department’s regulations governing the prevailing wages for employment opportunities that u.s. employers seek to fill with foreign workers on a permanent or temporary basis under the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, or e 3 visa programs. the department has twice delayed the effective date of the final rule (86 fr 13995; 86 fr 26164). in light of these delays and now the june 23, 2021 order vacating the final rule, the operative version of the regulations at 20 cfr 656.40 and 20 cfr 655.731 continues to be the version in place on october 7, 2020, prior to the publication of the ifr. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published the latest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment and wage statistics (oews) as generated by the bureau of labor statistics (bls) for july 2021 through june 2022. oflc intends to delay implementing the 2018 standard occupational classification (soc) codes until july 2022. oflc will continue using the 2010 soc during the july 2021 through june 2022 wage year and will apply the oews 2019 hybrid structure wage estimates generated by bls for the 2010 soc occupations. bls has announced that it will solely use the 2018 soc in spring 2022 when it publishes the may 2021 oews estimates. currently, o*net is still undergoing data collection, and there are several 2018 soc occupations that lack data for certain occupational norms, such as job zone information. for these reasons, oflc plans to delay implementation of 2018 soc until the july 2022 wage year. oflc is rescinding in full round 2 of national prevailing wage and helpdesk center frequently asked questions, published on june 23, 2020, because these questions pertained to the july 2020 through june 2021 wage year that has already passed. lastly, oflc is providing technical release notes, which explain how oflc will continue to apply the oews 2019 hybrid structure to the 2010 soc occupations for the july 2021 through june 2022 wage year. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the three day filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting a work start date of october 1, 2021, will open on july 3, 2021, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time, and close on july 5, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time. this three day period is the earliest an employer may file an application for an october 1, 2021, work start date, which is the first day of the semi annual visa allotment for the first half of fiscal year 2022. employers seeking start dates of october 2, 2021, or later must comply with the timeliness requirements at 20 cfr 655.15(b). in accordance with regulatory requirements and oflc’s standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an october 1, 2021, work start date will be denied if they are filed before july 3, 2021, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for assignment to analysts for review and processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of october 1, 2021, that are filed during the three day filing window (july 3 5, 2021) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. the u.s. departments of labor and homeland security have published a temporary rule increasing the numerical limitation on h 2b nonimmigrant visas to authorize the issuance of no more than 22,000 additional visas through the end of the second half of fiscal year (fy) 2021 to employers likely to suffer irreparable harm. the fy 2021 allocation of 22,000 visas consists of up to 16,000 visas for returning workers and up to 6,000 visas for nationals of guatemala, el salvador, and honduras. the rule provides additional protections for u.s. workers, flexibility for foreign workers, and additional recruitment requirements for certain employers. in support of this rule, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted the new form eta 9142 b caa 4 and the accompanying instructions. the temporary rule requires an employer to attest, among others, to the fact that it will likely suffer irreparable harm if it cannot employ the requested h 2b workers. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap before the end of fy 2021. the attestation is also available on the forms page of the oflc website found at: www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/forms. the employment and training administration (eta) published a 60 day notice in the federal register announcing its intent to revise this information collection, by amending the form eta 9141c, application for prevailing wage determination, and its instructions, to make sure this form, which is specific to the cw 1 program, conforms to the information collected through the general form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination (form eta 9141c), which is generally used by employers in connection with prevailing wage requests for other labor certification application programs and for labor condition applications. the information collected through the form eta 9142c, cw 1 application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142c), and its instructions, remain unchanged. the federal register notice informs the public of the department’s request to seek an extension of the validity of this information collection while also revising the form 9141c, and its instructions, and invites comments from the public for 60 days. written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. the deadline to submit comments is monday, july 19. the department of labor (department) has published a final rule delaying the effective date of the final rule, strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, published on january 14, 2021, 86 fr 3608, for a period of eighteen months. this action, which includes corresponding delays to the final rule’s transition dates, follows an initial 60 day delay announced on march 12, 2021. the department’s request for information issued last month will inform further action on the final rule and/or the development of a future notice of proposed rulemaking to revise the computation of prevailing wage levels in these programs. the department of labor published a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) in the federal register that proposes to amend its regulations regarding the adjudication of temporary need for employers seeking herding or production of livestock on the range job opportunities under the h 2a program. consistent with the court approved settlement agreement in hispanic affairs project, et al. v. perez et al., no. 15 cv 1562 (d.d.c.), the nprm proposes to rescind the regulation that governs the period of need for such job opportunities to ensure the department’s adjudication of temporary or seasonal need is conducted in the same manner for all applications for temporary agricultural labor certification. public comments on the proposal must be received by monday, june 7, 2021. for more information, please see the link below. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will implement the new form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination, beginning may 3, 2021. as a result, any initiated cases not submitted prior to 6:00 a.m. est on may 3, 2021 will be deleted and a new application using the revised form eta 9141 will need to be created. for more information, please refer to our original announcement on april 2, 2021. oflc is providing advance copy of the form eta 9141 documents that will go live on may 3, so that our stakeholders can familiarize themselves with the revised forms: on april 27, 2021, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to provide an overview on how to complete the revised form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination, in oflc’s foreign labor application gateway case management system. the presentation materials and a recording of the webinar are now available at the hyperlinks below. the employment and training administration (eta) published a 60 day notice in the federal register announcing its intent to extend the office of foreign labor certification’s labor condition application (lca) forms and the wage and hour division’s wh 4 complaint form for three years. the department proposes an extension of the lca and wh 4 complaint forms, without changes. the information collection request includes the lca forms eta 9035, eta 9035e (electronic), eta 9035 & 9035e appendix a, eta 9035cp instructions, and the wh 4 complaint form. the federal register notice informs the public of the department’s three year extension request for the forms and invites comments from the public for 60 days. written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. the deadline to submit comments is monday, june 28. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the second quarter of fiscal year 2021) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2020, through march 31, 2021, reporting period of fiscal year 2021. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2020, through march 31, 2021, reporting period of fy 2021. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the department of labor (department) is seeking information on the best available sources of data and methodologies that can be used in computing different levels of wages based on the occupational employment statistics (oes) wage survey administered by the bureau of labor statistics (bls), commensurate with experience, education, and level of supervision for a specific occupation and geographic area. the information received in response to this request for information (rfi) will inform and be considered by the department as it reviews the final rule, strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, which may result in the development of a future notice of proposed rulemaking to revise the computation of prevailing wage levels in a manner that more effectively ensures the employment of certain immigrant and nonimmigrant workers does not adversely affect the wages of u.s. workers similarly employed. the department invites the submissions of comments, information, data, and supporting materials based on the questions provided in the rfi for a period of 60 days. all comments must be received on or before june 1, 2021. the office of management and budget approved the office of foreign labor certification’s (oflc) revisions to the form eta 9141, corresponding appendix, and instructions. the revisions will better align information collection requirements with the department’s regulations, provide greater clarity to employers on regulatory requirements, and standardize and streamline information collection to reduce employer time preparing applications. they will also promote greater efficiency and transparency in oflc’s review and issuance of prevailing wage determinations. this new form must be used for all new prevailing wage applications beginning may 3, 2021. transition schedule for submitting prevailing wage application forms the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides an overview of updates to form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination. the webinar will: date and start time: tuesday, april 27, 2021 2:00 pm eastern time (us & canada) (utc 04:00) | 2 hrs. join from the meeting link https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=mdecd014fcb2a1d00e8ae503dca9890d4 join by meeting number meeting number (access code): 199 919 9129 meeting password: oflcnew9141 to join from a mobile device (attendees only) 1 877 465 7975,,1999199129## us toll free +1 210 795 0506,,1999199129## us toll join by phone 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll join from a video system or application dial 1999199129@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter the meeting number listed above. join using microsoft lync or microsoft skype for business dial 1999199129.usdol@lync.webex.com please note: webinars are limited to 1,000 participants. the department of labor (department) issued a federal register notice proposing to further delay the effective date of the final rule, strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, for a period of eighteen months or until november 14, 2022. the department has also proposed corresponding delays to the rule’s transition dates. the department invites public comment on the proposed delay on or before april 21, 2021. the department of labor recognizes that obtaining a reliable workforce is crucial to meeting the labor needs of american businesses. we also recognize how important it is to put americans back to work. on dec. 27, 2020, the consolidated appropriations act, 2021, was signed into law. this act authorizes the secretary of homeland security, after consultation with the secretary of labor, to increase the number of h 2b visas available to u.s. employers in fiscal year (fy) 2021 if american businesses’ needs cannot be met with qualified, willing, and able u.s. workers. the department of labor will help inform the department of homeland security’s decision whether to increase the number of h 2b visas available during fy 2021. while the current cap for h 2b visas has been met for fy 2021, we encourage every employer seeking workers to visit the almost 2,400 american job centers (ajc) nationwide to find and hire talented workers, as well as to train and retain qualified workers. additionally, the department recognizes the incredible value of our nation’s veterans and encourages tapping into their skills and talents. there are veteran employment representatives in every ajc across the country who can assist businesses and veterans with their employment needs. you may also consider working with the department’s veterans employment and training service to facilitate recruitment efforts in the veteran community. we understand the importance of this issue to both american workers and american employers. we will continue working collaboratively with our partners at dhs in an ongoing effort to ensure effective operation of the h 2b program. on march 17, 2021, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to provide an overview on common issues the chicago national processing center has identified with cw 1 applications for temporary employment certification and offer filing tips that can minimize the common application errors. the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlink below. the department of labor (dol) has published a final rule delaying the effective date of the final rule, strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, published on january 14, 2021, 86 fr 3608, for a period of 60 days. the department has delayed the effective date of the final rule until may 14, 2021, in accordance with the presidential directive as expressed in the memorandum of january 20, 2021, from the assistant to the president and chief of staff, entitled “regulatory freeze pending review.” this delay allows agency officials the opportunity to review any questions of fact, law, or policy. the employment and training administration has issued a notice in the federal register to announce the annual update to the allowable charges that employers seeking h 2a workers, in occupations other than herding and production of livestock on the range, may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence. please click here for guidance regarding reasonable case accommodations in light of the damage done by severe weather in texas and oklahoma. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about the number of temporary labor certifications and worker positions issued for the h 2b program. as of march 1, 2021, oflc has issued 3,598 h 2b temporary labor certifications covering 65,832 worker positions. filers who have received a temporary labor certification may file a petition with the u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis). oflc will continue to process h 2b applications, regardless of any h 2b visa cap administered by uscis. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides technical assistance and helpful tips for preparing the cw 1 application for prevailing wage determination (form eta 9141c) and the application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142c). the webinar will provide technical assistance to employers (and authorized attorneys or agents) on how to complete and submit forms eta 9141c and eta 9142c and cover some of the most pressing post filing issues employers encounter. date and start time: thursday, march 18, 2021 at 9:00 am chamorro standard time (gmt+10); wednesday, march 17, 2021 at 6:00 pm eastern time (us & canada) | 1 hour 30 minutes webex link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m64298869e6b7946a2bb0d2b0cc1ffd86 join by meeting number meeting number (access code): 199 186 1661 meeting password: cnmioutreach tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) 1 877 465 7975, 1991861661## us toll free +1 210 795 0506, 1991861661## us toll join by phone 1 877 465 7975 us toll free 1 210 795 0506 us toll global call in numbers | toll free calling restrictions join from a video system or application dial 1991861661@usdol.webex.com you can also dial 207.182.190.20 and enter your meeting number. please note: webinars are limited to 1,000 participants. the department of labor (dol) has published a notice in the federal register announcing updates of the aewrs for the employment of h 2a workers to perform agricultural labor or services other than the herding or production of livestock on the range. these rates are effective immediately pursuant to a recent federal court order. supplemental order regarding preliminary injunctive relief, united farm workers, et al. v. u.s. dep’t of labor, et al., no. 20 cv 1690 (e.d. cal. jan. 12, 2021), ecf no. 39. aewrs are the minimum wage rates dol has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular occupation and area so that the wages and working conditions of similarly employed workers in the united states will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new hourly aewrs, by state, for all agricultural employment (except for the herding or production of livestock on the range, which is covered by 20 cfr 655.200 235). pursuant to the district court’s orders in united farm workers, et al. v. u.s. dep’t of labor, et al., no. 20 cv 1690 (e.d. cal.), which enjoined the department from implementing the 2020 aewr final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, 85 fr 70445 (nov. 5, 2020), and ordered the department to operate under the 2010 rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a aliens in the united states, 75 fr 6884 (feb. 12, 2010), the new hourly aewrs are equal to the annual weighted average hourly wage rate for field and livestock workers (combined) in the state or region as published by the u.s. department of agriculture in the 2020 farm labor report on february 11, 2021 and are effective immediately. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2020, through december 31, 2020, reporting period of fy 2021. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2020, through december 31, 2020, reporting period of fiscal year 2021. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the department of labor issued a federal register notice proposing a 60 day delay of the effective date of the final rule, strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states from march 15, 2021 until may 14, 2021. on january 20, 2021, ronald a. klain, assistant to the president and chief of staff, issued a memorandum titled “regulatory freeze pending review” that directed federal agencies to consider postponing the effective date of any rules published in the federal register but not yet taken effect to allow the new administration to review “any questions of fact, law, and policy” raised by the rule. eta seeks comment on the proposed delay, including the proposed delay’s impact on any legal, factual, or policy issues raised by the underlying rule and whether further review of those issues warrants such a delay. all other comments on the underlying rule will be considered to be outside the scope of this rulemaking. written comments must be received by february 16, 2021. for more information, please see the link below. on january 20, 2021, the u.s. district court for the district of columbia in purdue university, et al. v. scalia, et al. (no. 20 cv 3006) and stellar it, inc., et al. v. scalia, et al. (no. 20 cv 3175) issued a modified order governing the manner and schedule in which the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will reissue certain prevailing wage determinations (pwds) that were issued from october 8, 2020 through december 4, 2020, under the wage methodology for the interim final rule (ifr), strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, 85 fr 63872 (oct. 8, 2020), and at the request of employers under the h 1b, h 1b1, and e 3 temporary programs and perm labor certification program. the department is taking necessary steps to comply with the modified order issued by the district court. accordingly, oflc will be reissuing certain pwds issued under the department’s ifr in two phases. employers that have already submitted a request in response to the december 3, 2020 announcement posted by oflc have been issued a pwd and do not need to resubmit a second request for reissuance or take other additional action. phase i: high priority pwds within 15 working days of receiving the requested list of named purdue plaintiffs and associational purdue plaintiffs from plaintiffs’ counsel, oflc will reissue all pwds that have not yet been used in the filing of a labor condition application (lca) or perm application as of january 20, 2021, and that fall into one or more of the following categories: oflc will individually email each requestor’s point of contact identified on the form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination, who received a pwd under the ifr and who falls into one or more of the four categories described above to provide notice that oflc will reissue the applicable pwd automatically. once completed, oflc will email the requestor’s point of contact a copy of the reissued pwd. finally, to provide the general public with transparency on the department’s commitment, oflc will make publicly available on the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system website, at https://flag.dol.gov/, a list of all pwds that are eligible for phase i with weekly updates identifying the date on which oflc reissued the applicable pwd. phase ii: emergency situations no later than march 2, 2021, oflc will reissue pwds for all the requests received under phase ii as described below. for employers with pwds issued under the ifr that are not eligible for phase i, the department is extending the deadline to request reissuance of a pwd from january 4, 2021, to february 8, 2021, only for employers attesting that they have an emergency situation necessitating reissuance of a pwd. an emergency situation includes the following circumstances: oflc will individually email each requestor’s point of contact identified on the form eta 9141 who received a pwd under the ifr and not yet requested a reissuance to alert them to the extended opportunity to request reissuance of a pwd no later than february 8, 2021. pwds that oflc has already reissued or those oflc determined were used in connection with the filing of a lca or perm application will not receive these emails, as such pwds are not eligible for reissuance. employers with emergency situations must affirmatively request reissuance of a pwd by accessing the redetermination function in their flag system account or contacting the national prevailing wage center (npwc) by email at flc.pwd@dol.gov, and including the words “ifr request for emergency review” followed by the full case number on the form eta 9141 in the subject line of the email. no documentation supporting the request based on an emergency situation is needed. however, a statement from the employer or requestor’s point of contact attesting to an emergency situation is required. finally, to provide the general public with transparency on the department’s commitment, oflc will make publicly available on the flag system website, at https://flag.dol.gov/, an aggregate report, updated weekly, identifying the total reissuance requests received, total pwds pending reissuance, and total pwds reissued. additional notes: to download and print a pdf copy of this announcement, please click here. on january 15, 2021, the u.s. department of labor (department) announced and posted on the office of foreign labor certification’s website a forthcoming final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in the united states (rin 1205 ab89), pending publication in the federal register with a 30 day delayed effective date. on january 20, 2021, the department withdrew this document from the office of the federal register prior to its publication for the purpose of reviewing issues of law, fact, and policy raised by the rule, and therefore it will not take effect. the department will notify the public of any further actions as appropriate once it completes its review. on january 15, 2021, the u.s. department of labor (department) issued an office of foreign labor certification h 1b program bulletin and a wage and hour division field assistance bulletin (fab) revising its interpretation of its regulations concerning which employers of h 1b workers must file labor condition applications. the department simultaneously submitted a notice for publication in the federal register announcing and requesting public comments on this interpretation. on january 20, 2021, the department withdrew its notice from the office of the federal register prior to its publication, and is now withdrawing the bulletin and fab for the purpose of considering the process for issuing this interpretation as well as reviewing related issues of law, fact, and policy. accordingly, the requirements of the bulletin and fab are no longer in effect. the department will notify the public of any further actions as appropriate once it completes its review. on december 23, 2020, the u.s. district court for the eastern district of california issued an order in united farm workers, et al. v. dol, et al., no. 20 cv 01690, enjoining the department of labor (department) from implementing its final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, 85 fr 70445 (nov. 5, 2020), and ordering the department to operate under the 2010 rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a aliens in the united states, 75 fr 6884 (feb. 12, 2010). on january 12, 2021, the court issued a supplemental order requiring the department to publish the adverse effect wage rates (aewr) for 2021 in the federal register on or before february 25, 2021, using the methodology set forth in the 2010 rule, and to make those aewrs effective upon their publication. additionally, the court ordered the department to notify all state workforce agencies (swas), employers, and the general public that the aewrs in effect on december 20, 2020, will remain in effect during the interim period until the department publishes 2021 aewrs in the federal register. accordingly, all h 2a job orders filed on or after december 21, 2020, with swas serving the area of intended employment, as set forth in 20 cfr 655.121, including job orders filed concurrently with an application for temporary employment certification with the oflc national processing center for emergency situations under 20 cfr 655.134, must continue to use the aewrs in effect on december 20, 2020, until the publication of new aewrs in the federal register. additionally, the court reserved decision on whether an award of backpay is warranted based on the difference, if any, between the 2020 aewrs and the final 2021 aewrs. accordingly, the court ordered the department to provide notice to all employers who submit job orders and applications under the h 2a program between december 21, 2020, and the publication of 2021 aewrs in the federal register, that affected h 2a workers may have a potential claim for backpay. accordingly, and as part of their regulatory obligations to maintain accurate and adequate earnings records (see 20 cfr 655.122(j)), the department reminds employers to record the names and permanent home addresses of all h 2a workers who may later be entitled to backpay, and make reasonable efforts to ensure that such information for each worker remains current. the department will provide here a further notice if and when the court issues a ruling regarding potential backpay. the u.s. department of labor published a final rule in the federal register that will help america’s workers remain competitive by reforming the prevailing wage methodology for several foreign worker programs. this final rule will be effective on march 15, 2021. however, filers will not be required to use the prevailing wage methodology under this final rule until july 1, 2021. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 5,377 h 2b applications covering 96,641 worker positions with the start date of work of april 1, 2021. following the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, oflc completed the randomization process on january 5 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. four additional assignment groups (groups b e) were created for the remaining applications, each of which includes no more than 20,000 worker positions. on january 5, 2021, oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). the office of foreign labor certification has completed the randomization process to randomly assign all h 2b applications submitted during the initial three day filing window, january 1 3, 2021, requesting an april 1, 2021, work start date for the second half of the fiscal year 2021 h 2b statutory visa cap. oflc received a total of 5,377 h 2b applications requesting 96,641 worker positions during this filing period. oflc will be providing written notification to employers (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) with their h 2b assignment group. on january 7, 2021, oflc will also publish on its website the list of the h 2b applications assigned to each assignment group. on december 23, 2020, the u.s. district court for the eastern district of california issued an order in united farm workers, et al. v. dol, et al., no. 20 cv 01690, enjoining the department of labor from implementing the final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states (h 2a aewr fr), 85 fr 70445 (nov. 5, 2020). the court’s order prevents the department from further implementing the h 2a aewr fr, which took effect on december 21, 2020, and ordered the department to use the methodology established by the department’s 2010 h 2a regulation to establish the hourly aewrs for all non range occupations. effective immediately, and until further notice, h 2a job orders filed with the state workforce agency serving the area of intended employment, as set forth in 20 cfr 655.121, on or after december 21, 2020, including job orders filed concurrently with an application for temporary employment certification to the oflc national processing center for emergency situations under 20 cfr 655.134, must use the aewrs in effect on december 20, 2020. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting work start dates of april 1, 2021, or later, will open on january 1, 2021, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. following oflc’s standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an april 1, 2021, work start date will be denied if they are filed before january 1, 2021, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2021, that are filed during the initial three calendar days (january 1 3, 2021) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. each day, from january 2, 2021 through january 4, 2021, oflc will publish on the foreign labor application gateway system website the number of h 2b applications it has received to date and the total number of requested worker positions on those applications. the department of labor (dol) has published a notice in the federal register announcing the new aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program. the aewr is the minimum wage rate dol has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new national monthly aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range. on december 9, 2020, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to update stakeholders on the process for filing h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2021, or later. this webinar also provided best practices and helpful tips for preparing and submitting h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) using the foreign labor application gateway system. the presentation materials are now available at the hyperlink below. important reminder: employers are reminded that they should file only one application for the same job opportunity. with limited exception, under 20 cfr 655.15(f), only one application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) may be filed for worksite(s) within one area of intended employment for each job opportunity with an employer for each period of employment. oflc will review and process only the application that is filed first, according to its timestamp. if oflc identifies multiple applications that appear to have been filed for the same job opportunity, oflc will consider the first application filed in timestamp order   irrespective of randomization group assignments   as the official application submitted by (or on behalf of) the employer. oflc will issue a notice of deficiency on the first application reviewed (i.e., the application that is randomized closest to the top of the processing order) to require the employer to establish a bona fide need for all potentially duplicative applications. employers that fail to establish a bona fide need for each of the applications will receive a non acceptance denial for each application identified as a duplicate and received after the application that was filed first. any necessary corrections or amendments should be made to the first application filed. for further information on requesting a correction or amendment of an h 2b application before a final determination is issued, please refer to h 2b frequently asked questions round 11, regardless of any h 2b visa cap administered by uscis. on december 1, 2020, the u.s. district court for the northern district of california issued an order in chamber of commerce, et al. v. dhs, et al., no. 20 cv 7331, finding that the u.s. department of labor (the department) failed to show it had good cause to forgo advance notice and comment under the administrative procedure act for the interim final rule (ifr), strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, 85 fr 63872 (oct. 8, 2020). the court’s order sets aside the ifr, which took effect on october 8, 2020 and implemented reforms to the prevailing wage methodology for the permanent employment certification, h 1b, h 1b1, and e 3 visa programs. similarly, on december 3, 2020, the u.s. district court for the district of new jersey issued a preliminary injunction in itserve alliance, inc., et al. v. scalia, et al., no. 20 cv 14604, applying to the plaintiffs in that case. the department is taking necessary steps to comply with the courts’ orders, including making required technical changes to the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system, in a manner that minimizes service disruptions for customers and oflc staff. specifically, the department must make changes to the flag system modules to replace the 10/8/2020 6/30/2021 wage source year data that was implemented under the ifr with the oes prevailing wage data that was in effect on october 7, 2020. to reduce the risk of unintended system problems or errors while this occurs, employers and their authorized attorneys or agents may experience a brief delay in their ability to use the flag system to submit new labor condition applications for nonimmigrant workers (lcas), form eta 9035/9035e, and receive determinations on applications for prevailing wage determination, form eta 9141, where the occupational employment statistics (oes) survey data is the prevailing wage source. implementation timeframe for technical changes to flc online data center implementation timeframe for filing lcas implementation timeframe for processing prevailing wage determinations opportunity to request npwc review of a pwd issued under the ifr any employer desiring review of a pwd issued using the 10/8/2020 6/30/2021 wage source year data that was implemented under the ifr may make a request for review by the npwc director under 20 cfr 656.41 on or before january 4, 2021, and the director will consider such request timely under 20 cfr 656.41(a). please use one of the following methods to submit a timely request for npwc director review: please access your foreign labor application gateway (flag) system account to request review of a prevailing wage determination issued by the npwc director. in the historical cases table, search for the case number, then open the case details. in the actions tab, select request redetermination. you will be prompted to add a case note and may upload a document if needed. upon submission, your request will be routed to an analyst for review. you will receive an email confirmation that your request submitted successfully. flc.pwd@dol.gov in the email subject line, please include the phrase “ifr request for review” followed by the full case number on the form eta 9141. employment and training administration office of foreign labor certification national prevailing wage center 200 constitution ave nw room n 5311 washington, dc 20210 attn: ifr request for review please include either the full case number in the cover letter of the request for npwc director review or a hard copy of the form eta 9141 issued under the ifr methodology. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides best practices and helpful tips for preparing h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices). the webinar will discuss: details of the webinars are as follows: date: december 9, 2020 start time: 2:30 est link: https://usdol.webex.com/usdol/j.php?mtid=m7935686fca176037f113697ee0501664 meeting password: hfgmm4ekt36 call in information: *due to the size of the call, please use the following toll free number for audio: please note: webinars are limited to 1,000 participants. on november 5, 2020, the department of labor (department) published a final rule updating the methodology for determining hourly adverse effect wage rates (aewr) for non range agricultural occupations in the h 2a visa program. see final rule, adverse effect wage rate methodology for the temporary employment of h 2a nonimmigrants in non range occupations in the united states, 85 fr 70445 (nov. 5, 2020) (“2020 aewr final rule”). the aewr is the minimum wage rate the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment to ensure that the employment of h 2a workers does not adversely affect the wages of agricultural workers in the u.s. beginning on december 21, 2020, h 2a job orders submitted for non range occupations must comply with the new methodology. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has created a new webpage that consolidates aewr information for the h 2a program. this webpage contains the monthly aewr for range occupations, as well as the hourly aewrs for non range occupations. the hourly aewrs for non range occupations on the new webpage will apply to h 2a job orders submitted on or after december 21, 2020, when the 2020 aewr final rule becomes effective. during the transition to the new methodology, oflc will also maintain a separate webpage that displays the hourly aewrs in effect for job orders submitted before december 21, 2020. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2019, through september 30, 2020, reporting period of fy 2020. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october 1, 2019, through september 30, 2020, reporting period of fiscal year 2020. oflc has also released selected program statistics for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020 for the perm, lca (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3), h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the u.s. department of labor today announced a final rule that updates the methodology for determining the annual adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) in the h 2a visa program. the aewr is a minimum wage rate that provides a floor below which the wages of agricultural workers cannot be negotiated. requiring employers to pay the aewr when it is the highest applicable wage is the primary way the department meets its statutory obligation to certify that the employment of foreign workers will not adversely affect workers in the united states similarly employed. the new rule improves the consistency of the aewrs, provides stronger protections for workers, and establishes better stability and predictability for employers in complying with their wage obligations. for the vast majority of agricultural jobs, the rule uses the average hourly wages for field and livestock workers (combined), as reported by the u.s. department of agriculture’s farm labor survey published in november 2019, as the aewrs for field and livestock worker occupations through calendar year 2022. beginning in 2023, and annually thereafter, the department will adjust these aewrs by the percentage change in the bureau of labor statistics’ (bls) employment cost index for wages and salaries for the preceding 12 month period. for all other agricultural jobs, the department will set and annually adjust the aewrs using the average hourly wages for the occupational classification reported by the bls occupational employment statistics (oes) survey program. these agricultural jobs are often supervisory or higher skilled/uniquely skilled, such as construction jobs, which pay higher wages than typical farming occupations. using the oes survey to establish aewrs for these higher skilled jobs will allow the department to consistently establish occupation specific aewrs that better reflect the wages paid for such jobs and better protect against adverse effect on similarly employed united states workers. the changes implemented in this rule also address stakeholder concerns about the potential for significant and unpredictable wage changes from year to year associated with the department’s prior aewr methodology, while ensuring better wage protections for united states workers similarly employed in higher skilled agricultural jobs. more predictable wage adjustments in the h 2a program will help american farmers plan and budget for their workforce needs, and ensure that wages in the h 2a program keep pace with steadily increasing wages in the wider economy. by taking this action, the department is protecting u.s. workers and helping farmers keep food on america’s tables. the department intends to issue a second final rule to finalize the remainder of the july 29, 2019, proposed rule that will govern other aspects of the certification of agricultural labor or services performed by h 2a workers, and enforcement of the contractual obligations applicable to employers of such nonimmigrant workers. a copy of the final rule is available on the office of foreign labor certification’s (oflc) website. the final rule will publish in the federal register at a later date. although the office of the federal register may make minor technical edits to the version of the final rule posted with today’s announcement, the substance of the final rule will remain the same. the version to be published in the federal register will be the official version that amends the current regulations. oflc has also prepared frequently asked questions (faq) to help stakeholders better understand the h 2a aewr final rule: the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released round 2 of frequently asked questions (faqs) addressing issues related to the wage protections interim final rule. the u.s. department of labor announced an interim final rule (ifr) that will help america’s workers remain competitive by reforming the prevailing wage methodology for several foreign worker programs. after a significant review of the permanent employment certification, h 1b, h 1b1, and e 3 visa programs, the department has determined that the existing wage structure leads to potential abuses of these programs that can cause wage deflation and stagnation for u.s. workers. the ifr will improve the accuracy of prevailing wages and more effectively protect the recruitment and wages of america’s workers by eliminating any economic incentive or advantage in hiring foreign workers on a permanent or temporary basis in the u.s. the ifr amends the department’s regulations governing certain labor certifications at 20 cfr parts 655 and 656, to incorporate changes to the methodology for computing prevailing wage levels under the department’s four tiered wage structure. the department believes these changes to the wage structure based on the occupational employment statistics (oes) wage survey administered by the bureau of labor statistics better reflect the actual wages earned by u.s. workers similarly employed to foreign workers. the ifr does not change oflc’s standard procedures for reviewing employers’ job opportunities and determining prevailing wage levels for the assigned standard occupational classification (soc) code. on october 6, 2020, the department’s ifr, strengthening wage protections for the temporary and permanent employment of certain aliens in the united states, will be placed on public inspection at the federal register. in advance of the ifr’s publication in the federal register, a copy of the ifr submitted to the office of the federal register (ofr) is also available on the office of foreign labor certification’s (oflc) website. the department expects the ifr will be published, with an immediate effective date, in the federal register on october 8, 2020. the department will be accepting public comments on the ifr for 30 days from the date of publication in the federal register. although the ofr may make minor technical edits to the version of the ifr posted with today’s announcement, the substance of the ifr will remain the same. the version to be published in the federal register will be the official version that amends the current regulations. oflc has prepared frequently asked questions to help stakeholders better understand the wage protections ifr. effect of the interim final rule: the ifr will only apply to the following: implementation schedule: the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) received an updated wage survey from the governor of the commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi) for the cw 1 program. oflc has approved the governor’s survey for 402 occupations and will issue updated cw 1 prevailing wages using this data from september 30, 2020, through june 30, 2021. the updated wage table includes prevailing wage data for a total of 820 occupations. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) announced that it is permanently adopting the electronic issuance of perm labor certifications to employers (and their authorized attorneys or agents). on march 24, 2020, oflc announced that due to the impact of the covid 19 pandemic that it would electronically issue perm labor certifications to employers (and their authorized attorneys or agents) through june 30, 2020. on june 16, 2020, oflc announced that it was extending the period during which it would electronically issue perm labor certifications through september 30, 2020. on july 30, 2020, the department of labor (department) signed a memorandum of agreement (moa) with the department of homeland security (dhs). among other things, the moa provides dhs access to all applications for permanent labor certification submitted to oflc through the perm online system, including the ability to verify that a perm application has been certified. the enhanced information sharing and collaboration under the moa also eliminates the need for duplicate certification requests and increases the integrity of the perm program by supporting efforts to combat instances of fraud and abuse in connection with labor certification and employment based immigrant and non immigrant programs. dhs regulations require that in order to file a uscis form i 140, immigrant petition for alien workers (form i 140), with u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis) employers must concurrently submit an original labor certification issued by the department, unless the original labor certification was already provided to uscis in support of a different petition. when a permanent labor certification was granted in the past, oflc would send the original certified eta form 9089, application for permanent employment certification, and a final determination letter on "security paper" to the employer (or their authorized attorney/agent). to be valid, a certified eta form 9089 must contain the following completed sections: the employer (or their authorized attorney/agent) then would submit the original signed paper eta form 9089, along with the uscis form i 140 and all other supporting documentation and appropriate fees, to uscis. as of march 24, 2020, employers (or their authorized attorney/agent) who file a perm application and are granted a permanent labor certification by oflc have received the certified eta form 9089 and final determination letter by email. in circumstances where employers (or their authorized attorneys or agents) submit the application for permanent labor certification by mail and are not able to receive the certified eta form 9089 documents by email, oflc has and will continue to send the original security paper eta form 9089 and final determination letter by mail. at this time, oflc expects to continue using ups regular delivery to send the documents (i.e., approximately 2 to 8 days depending on delivery location). before filing a form i 140 with uscis, the electronic copy of the certified eta form 9089 that is provided by oflc via email, must be printed, and signed and dated in the appropriate sections by the: important reminder: to ensure receipt of electronic permanent labor certification documents and all other correspondence from the atlanta national processing center, oflc reminds stakeholders to add plc.atlanta@dol.gov to their address book or "safe list" within email system(s) to avoid being filtered as spam. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a corrected version of the following public disclosure data files for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020: the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october, 1, 2019, through june 30, 2020, reporting period of fy 2020. earlier this month, an error was discovered in the pw_disclosure data fy 2020 q3.xlsx file in which the primary_worksite_county column was not populating for all records. this has been corrected. the h 1b h 1b1 e 3 fy2020 q3.xlsx file contained an error in which some records for which the case_status column indicated “certified   withdrawn” should have indicated a status of “withdrawn”. this too has been corrected. on august 11, 2020, the assistant secretary of consular affairs for the u.s. department of state (dos), in consultation with the secretaries of labor and homeland security, determined additional types of travel that may qualify for a national interest exception to presidential proclamation 10052 for h 1b, h 2b, l 1a, l 1b and certain j 1 visa programs. the announcement regarding this determination can be accessed here. the announcement updates a notice from july 30, 2020, and discusses expanded categories of visa applicants who may qualify for a national interest exception to presidential proclamation 10052. stakeholders are reminded that u.s. embassies and consulates may only be able to offer limited visa services due to the covid 19 pandemic. prospective visa applicants should visit the website for the embassy or consulate where they intend to apply for a visa to get updates on current operating status. on july 20, 2020, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published a federal register notice announcing its intent to revise application forms, instructions, and other information collected under the permanent labor certification program. the federal register notice published on july 20, 2020, incorrectly stated that the omb control number for forms eta 750a, application for alien employment certification   offer of employment, and eta 750b, application for alien employment certification   statement of qualifications of alien, is 1205 0515. the federal register notice published today corrects the omb control number for forms eta 750a and eta 750b to 1205 0015. written comments must be submitted following the instructions in the federal register notice published on july 20, 2020. the deadline to submit comments is september 18, 2020. as announced on june 3, 2020, the office of foreign labor certification's website will be migrating to a new web domain. the foreign labor certification website is scheduled to become part of the main department of labor website at www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor on august 3, 2020. as part of the transition, the visual display on oflc's website will change, but the information provided on each of these pages will remain the same. users who try to access oflc website pages and file at their current url will be automatically redirected to the new location and should encounter no service disruptions. after the transition, we encourage users to update their bookmarks and documentation with the new urls to ensure that they can continue to access information on oflc's website. the u.s. department of labor published a federal register notice announcing its intent to revise application forms, instructions, and other information collected under the permanent labor certification (perm) program. the proposed revision better aligns information collection requirements with the department’s perm regulation, provides greater clarity to employers on regulatory requirements, standardizes and streamlines information collection for employers preparing perm applications, and promotes greater efficiency and transparency in oflc's review and issuance of labor certification decisions. written comments must be submitted in accordance with the instructions in the federal register notice. the deadline to submit comments is september 18, 2020. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program (as required by 20 cfr § 655.9(c)). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cases filed from october 1, 2019, through june 30, 2020. this information is also available in form eta 9142b, appendix c, which presents foreign recruiter information sorted by h 2b case number. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. in order to view the foreign labor recruiting list, please visit the foreign labor recruiting list web page the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data (through the third quarter of fiscal year 2020) drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october, 1, 2019, through june 30, 2020, reporting period of fy 2020. oflc has also released q3 selected program statistics for fiscal year 2020 for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 685 h 2b applications covering 16,609 worker positions with the start date of work of october 1, 2020. since the number of the h 2b applications received during the initial three day period collectively requested fewer worker positions for certification than the statutory numerical limitation, all h 2b applications filed within that time period and requesting workers for the earliest possible start date of work were randomly given a unique number and placed into the same group for assignment. the office of foreign labor certification has completed the procedures to randomly assign all h 2b applications submitted during the initial three day filing window, july 3 5, 2020, requesting an october 1, 2020, work start date for the first half of the fiscal year 2021 h 2b statutory visa cap. oflc received a total of 685 h 2b applications in the foreign labor application gateway system requesting 16,609 worker positions during this filing period. since the number of the h 2b applications received during the initial three day period collectively requested fewer worker positions for certification than the statutory numerical limitation, all h 2b applications filed within that time period and requesting workers for the earliest possible start date of work were randomly given a unique number and placed into the same group for assignment. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published the latest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment survey as generated by the bureau of labor statistics (bls) for july 2020 through june 2021. these updates include: geographic changes: the occupational employment statistics (oes) program added the twins fall, idaho, metropolitan statistical area. oflc also has wage data available for new shoreham, rhode island. american competitiveness and workforce improvement act (acwia)   education industry database: updates with wages for additional acwia occupations are now available. explanation of oes 2019 hybrid structure: on june 23, 2020, oflc published round 2 of frequently asked questions explaining that oflc will continue using the 2010 soc occupations for the july 2020 wage year. oflc will apply the oes 2019 hybrid structure wage estimates generated by bls for these 2010 soc occupations. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting work start dates of october 1, 2020, or later, will open on july 3, 2020, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. following oflc's standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an october 1, 2020, work start date will be denied if they are filed before july 3, 2020, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. oflc will randomly order for processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of october 1, 2020, that are filed during the initial three calendar days (july 3 5, 2020) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. important reminder: employers are reminded that foreign labor application gateway (flag) system user accounts are solely for the use of the individual for whom they were created. sharing the same user account is forbidden and is grounds for terminating flag access. passwords or any other authentication mechanism should never be shared or stored in any place easily accessible. if stored, a password may not be stored in a clear text or readable format. on march 24, 2020, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) informed stakeholders that the atlanta national processing center (npc) will issue perm labor certification documents electronically to employers (and their authorized attorneys or agents) through june 30, 2020. due to the ongoing impact of the covid 19 pandemic, oflc is extending the period during which the atlanta npc will issue perm labor certification documents electronically to employers (and their authorized attorneys or agents) through september 30, 2020. u.s. department of homeland security (dhs) regulations require that in order to file a uscis form i 140, immigrant petition for alien workers, with u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis), for certain employment based immigrant visas employers must concurrently submit an original labor certification issued by the u.s. department of labor (dol), unless the original labor certification was already provided to uscis in support of a different petition. normally, when a permanent labor certification is granted, oflc sends an original certified eta form 9089, application for permanent employment certification, and a final determination letter on security paper to the employer (or the employer's authorized attorney or agent who submitted the application). to be valid, the certified eta form 9089 contains a completed: the employer (or its authorized agent or attorney) then submits the original, signed paper eta form 9089, along with the uscis form i 140 and all other supporting documentation and appropriate fees, to uscis. through september 30, 2020, employers (or their authorized attorneys/agents) who file the application and are granted a permanent labor certification by oflc will receive the certified eta form 9089 and final determination letter by email. in circumstances where employers (or their authorized attorneys or agents) are not able to receive the certified eta form 9089 documents by email, oflc will send the original security paper eta form 9089 and final determination letter using ups regular delivery (i.e., approximately 2 to 8 days depending on delivery location). before filing form i 140 with uscis, the electronic copy of the certified eta form 9089 must be printed, and then signed and dated by the: uscis may consider this printed form eta 9089, containing all signatures, as satisfying the requirement that petitioners provide evidence of an original labor certification issued by dol. important reminder: to ensure proper receipt of electronic permanent labor certification documents and all other correspondence from the atlanta npc, oflc reminds stakeholders to add plc.atlanta@dol.gov to their address book or "safe list" within email system(s) to avoid being filtered as spam. please be advised that the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is in the process of migrating our website from https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/ to https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor. we expect the new website to go live in mid july, following the july h 2b peak filing period . the changes will offer a new design and layout as part of the u.s. department of labor's oneweb@dol initiative. the design changes include enhancements for users on mobile devices and accessibility for individuals with disabilities. once the new website is launched, the old urls for webpages and files on https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/ will be redirected to the corresponding links at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor certification . users with bookmarked webpages or who use a search engine will be seamlessly redirected to the new website location. we encourage users to update their bookmarks and documentation with the new urls to ensure that they can continue to access information on oflc's website. important note: the migration to the new oflc website domain will not impact the foreign labor application gateway ( https://flag.dol.gov ), permanent online filing ( https://www.plc.doleta.gov/ ), and seasonaljobs.dol.gov ( https://seasonaljobs.dol.gov ) websites. users of these websites should encounter no service disruptions. on may 20, 2020, the office of the secretary issued a final rule, rules concerning discretionary review by the secretary to establish a system of discretionary secretarial review over cases pending before or decided by the board of alien labor certification appeals (balca) and to make technical changes to regulations governing the timing and finality of decisions of the administrative review board and balca. the effective date of the rule is june 19, 2020. the rule also provides that the secretary will not exercise his new review authority until at least 30 days after the rule goes into effect. the office of foreign labor certification reminds stakeholders that information and directions on uploading documents into the permanent (perm) online system is available under the perm webinars link located on the permanent labor certification program web page. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program as required by 20 cfr 655.9(c) . the list contains the name and location of persons or entities identified on appendix c of the form eta 9142b that were hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their h 2b application. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes only those names and locations associated with h 2b applications that were processed or issued a final decision during the october 1, 2019, through march 31, 2020, reporting period of fy 2020. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a comprehensive set of public disclosure data for the first half of fiscal year 2020 drawn from employer applications requesting prevailing wage determinations and labor certifications for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the public disclosure files include all final determinations oflc issued for these programs during the october, 1, 2019, through march 31, 2020, reporting period of fy 2020 including a more expansive set of data elements based on new application forms processed through the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system. oflc has also released updated selected program statistics for the first half of fiscal year 2020 for the perm, h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b, cw 1, and prevailing wage programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders that the legacy icert system will be fully decommissioned on may 1, 2020 . as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system was implemented to replace the legacy icert system, improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. on february 28, 2020, oflc initiated the decommissioning process by transitioning the legacy icert system to a read only mode where users can access their accounts to view, download, or copy information related to their applications. on may 1, 2020 , the legacy icert system will no longer be accessible to account holders and the general public will be redirected to the flag system . as a reminder, icert system account holders who need to request a specific case action on an application submitted in the icert system (e.g., withdraw applications, request reconsideration, etc.) should continue to contact the relevant oflc program helpdesk for review and appropriate action. on march 20, 2020, illinois governor jb pritzker directed all individuals currently living in the state of illinois to stay at home or at their place of residence, which currently extends through april 7, 2020. on march 23, 2020, city of atlanta mayor keisha lance bottoms, directed all individuals living in the territorial jurisdictional limits of the city of atlanta to stay at their place of residence, effective march 24, 2020. the office of foreign labor certification has temporarily suspended daily mail processing at its atlanta and chicago national processing centers (npcs) in order to protect the health and safety of its staff and help slow the spread of covid 19. oflc will monitor mail delivered to its npcs once a week to ensure that time sensitive documents are processed. the atlanta and chicago npcs continue to electronically process and issue labor certifications that meet all statutory and regulatory requirements under the federal government's maximum telework flexibilities operating status. oflc strongly encourages all employers (and their authorized attorneys or agents) to use the foreign labor application gateway (flag) and perm electronic filing systems for filing new applications and uploading responsive documents on applications currently under review. alternatively, employers and their authorized attorneys or agents may file applications and responsive documentation using email at the following addresses: tlc.chicago@dol.gov (chicago npc) and plc.atlanta@dol.gov (atlanta npc). see the covid 19 frequently asked questions, round 1 , issued on march 20, 2020, for more information. due to the impact of the covid 19 pandemic, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders that, beginning march 25, 2020, and through june 30, 2020 , the atlanta national processing center (npc) will issue perm labor certification documents electronically to employers and their authorized attorneys or agents. department of homeland security (dhs) regulations provide that, in order to file a uscis form i 140, immigrant petition for alien workers , with united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis), for certain employment based immigrant visas, an employer must concurrently submit an original labor certification issued by the department of labor (dol), unless the original labor certification was already provided to uscis in support of a different petition. currently, when a permanent labor certification is granted, oflc sends an original certified form eta 9089, application for permanent employment certification , and a final determination letter on security paper to the employer or, if applicable, the employer's authorized attorney or agent who submitted the application. to be valid, the certified form eta 9089 contains a completed: the employer or, if applicable, its authorized agent or attorney, then submits the original, signed paper form eta 9089, along with the uscis form i 140 and all other supporting documentation and appropriate fees, to uscis. beginning march 25, 2020, and through june 30, 2020 , employers or their authorized attorneys/agents who file the application and are granted a permanent labor certification by oflc will receive the certified form eta 9089 and final determination letter by email. in circumstances where employers or, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents, are not able to receive the certified form eta 9089 documents by email, oflc will send the original security paper form eta 9089 and final determination letter using ups regular delivery (i.e., approximately 2 to 8 days depending on delivery location). upon email receipt of an electronic copy of the certified form eta 9089, the form must be printed, and then signed and dated by each of the following prior to filing the form i 140 with uscis: the foreign worker, preparer (if applicable), and the employer. uscis may consider this printed form eta 9089, containing all signatures, as satisfying the requirement that petitioners provide evidence of an original labor certification issued by dol. based on potential service disruptions due to the covid 19 pandemic, oflc's electronic issuance of permanent labor certifications, during this temporary period, will help ensure employers and their authorized attorneys or agents are able to receive final determinations in a timely and cost effective manner. important reminder: similar to other electronic correspondence issued by the atlanta npc, and to ensure proper receipt of electronic permanent labor certification documents, oflc reminds stakeholders to add plc.atlanta@dol.gov to their address book or "safe list" within email system(s) to avoid being filtered as spam. the u.s. department of labor's employment and training administration has issued a federal register notice announcing the annual update to the allowable charges that employers seeking h 2a workers in occupations other than range herding may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day, and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released a set of frequently asked questions (faqs) to address stakeholder questions concerning the u.s. department of homeland security's public announcement on march 5, 2020, that it will take necessary anti fraud and abuse measures to protect the integrity of the h 2b visa program and also make available 35,000 supplemental h 2b temporary nonagricultural worker visas for the second half of fiscal year 2020. the faqs are intended to clarify the use of emergency situations related to the supplemental allocation and the procedures that employers can use to return a temporary labor certification issued by oflc that they no longer need. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) alerts stakeholders that the office of the secretary of labor has withdrawn its december 17, 2014, notice of intent to issue declaratory order (79 fr 75179, dec. 17, 2014). all oflc actions related to the resolution of requests for review of the relevant supplemental prevailing wage determinations, which have been stayed since december 20, 2013, will be processed in accordance with this withdrawal notice. note: this version of the withdrawal notice may vary slightly from the published document if minor technical or formatting changes are made during the review by the office of the federal register. oflc has issued 3,642 h 2b temporary labor certifications covering 63,797 worker positions. filers who have received a temporary labor certification may file a petition with the u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis). oflc will continue to process h 2b applications, regardless of any h 2b visa cap administered by uscis. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites interested stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides technical assistance and helpful tips for preparing the cw 1 application for prevailing wage determination (form eta 9141c) and the application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142c). the webinar will: date: tuesday, march 10, 2020 start time: 8:30 a.m. chamorro standard time (gmt+10) webex link: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e9c7f4d32cac9a85bb542a60cb8af3ab3 meeting password: welcome!24 toll free phone: 1 800 779 6819 toll line: 571 308 9268 participant passcode: 3822141 please note: webinars are limited to 1,000 participants. on january 29, 2020, governor ralph dlg. torres issued a declaration of a state of significant emergency regarding matters of public health for travelers to the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands (cnmi). the office of foreign labor certification reminds cnmi employers of regulatory provisions regarding the termination of work to be performed under a job order and/or work contracts with employees before the end date of work on the certification under the "contract impossibility" provisions in 20 cfr 655.20(g) (h 2b) and 20 cfr 655.423(g) (cw 1), and as discussed in the office of foreign labor certification's frequently asked questions . impacted employers may also be eligible to use emergency filing procedures, as outlined at 20 cfr 655.17 (h 2b) and 20 cfr 655.422 (cw 1) to file their application closer to their start date of need than is normally permitted. any requests will be assessed by the certifying officer and take into account the employer's reasons for such requests. for information from u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis) regarding immigration relief measures that may help if you are affected by unforeseen circumstances, please visit the uscis website . the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders that the icert system labor certification registry, which provides public access to labor certification decisions in the perm, lca, h 2a, and h 2b visa programs, will be decommissioned. effective february 28, 2020 , members of the public interested in obtaining data on labor certification decisions will still be able to access it within the disclosure data section of the oflc performance data page . this page provides the latest quarterly and annual disclosure data in easily accessible formats for public review and use. with the decommissioning of the icert system labor certification registry, oflc will be significantly expanding the scope of labor certification decision data available to the public through the disclosure data section in february 2020. members of the public interested in obtaining copies of labor certification records or other information maintained by oflc may also request access under the freedom of information act (foia). for more information on how to submit a foia request, please visit the department of labor's foia webpage . as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system was developed to replace the legacy icert system, improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders that the icert system continues to be accessible, but will transition to a read only mode as the department initiates full decommissioning of the legacy system. effective february 28, 2020 , icert system account users will no longer be able to take any actions on their applications (e.g., delete initiated applications, request redeterminations, request center director reviews, withdraw applications, and upload supporting documents) within the respective prevailing wage, lca, h 2a, or h 2b program areas of the legacy icert system. however, icert system account users will retain the ability to access their accounts and view, download, or copy information related to their applications after the icert system is placed in a read only mode. beginning february 28, 2020, icert system account users who need to request a specific case action on an application available in the icert system should contact the relevant oflc program helpdesk for review and appropriate action. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) today implemented technical fixes and new enhancements to the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system related to the submission of applications. these enhancements are intended to improve customer service and increase the quality of applications submitted for processing, and includes, but is not limited to, the following: h 2b program h 2a program lca programs (h 1b, h 1b1, e 3) prevailing wage program to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the assignment group(s) for 5,677 h 2b applications covering 99,362 worker positions with the start date of work of april 1, 2020. following the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, oflc completed the randomization process on january 6 and assigned to national processing center analysts all h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. group a includes enough worker positions to reach the h 2b semi annual visa allotment of 33,000. four additional assignment groups were created for the remaining applications, each of which includes no more than 20,000 worker positions. on january 6, 2020, oflc provided written notice to each employer (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). the office of foreign labor certification has completed the randomization process to randomly assign all h 2b applications submitted during the initial three day filing window, january 2 4, 2020, requesting an april 1, 2020, work start date for the second half of the fiscal year 2020 h 2b statutory visa cap. oflc received a total of 5,677 h 2b applications requesting 99,362 worker positions during this filing period. oflc will be providing written notification to employers (and the employer's authorized attorney or agent) with their h 2b assignment group. on january 8, 2020, oflc will also publish on its website the list of the h 2b applications assigned to each assignment group. during the first two days of the h 2b peak filing season, employers filed 5,509 applications in the foreign labor application gateway system requesting more than 96,319 worker positions with an april 1, 2020, or later, work start date. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will continue to accept h 2b applications during the three day filing window, and plans to randomize all applications submitted on january 6, 2020. oflc will use the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, to randomize h 2b applications. during the first 24 hours of the h 2b peak filing season, employers filed 4,930 applications in the foreign labor application gateway system requesting more than 87,298 worker positions with an april 1, 2020, or later, work start date. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will continue to accept h 2b applications during the three day filing window, and plans to randomize all applications submitted on january 6, 2020. oflc will use the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019, to randomize h 2b applications. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted a set of frequently asked questions (faqs) to address stakeholder questions concerning whether the u.s. department of homeland security's united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) is accepting additional petitions for h 2b workers under the first half of fiscal year 2020 statutory limit, and the procedures employers can use to return a temporary labor certification issued by oflc that they no longer need. in collaboration with the department's office of the chief information officer, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published a set of technical frequently asked questions (faqs) addressing several technical issues with the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system. these faqs provide flag users with helpful tips and practices for preparing and submitting h 2b applications (form eta 9142b and appendices). the department of labor (dol) has published a notice in the federal register announcing the new aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program. the aewr is the minimum wage rate dol has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new national monthly aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range. to access the notice please click here . the department of labor (dol) has published a notice in the federal register announcing the new aewr in each state to perform agricultural labor or service other than herding and production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program, based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewr is the minimum wage rate dol has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new hourly aewr for each state. to access the notice please click here . the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds employers and other interested stakeholders that the filing window to submit an h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) requesting work start dates of april 1, 2020, or later, will open on january 2, 2020, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time . following oflc's standard operating procedures, h 2b applications requesting an april 1, 2020, work start date will be denied if they are filed before january 2, 2020, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time . oflc will randomly order for processing all h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2020, that are filed during the initial three calendar days (january 2 4, 2020) using the randomization procedures published in the federal register on march 4, 2019. important reminder : employers are reminded that foreign labor application gateway (flag) system user accounts are solely for the use of the individual for whom they were created. sharing the same user account is forbidden and is grounds for terminating flag access. passwords or any other authentication mechanism should never be shared or stored in any place easily accessible. if stored, a password may not be stored in a clear text or readable format. on december 11, 2019, the office of foreign labor certification conducted a webinar to update stakeholders on the process for filing h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2020, or later. for stakeholders who were not able to participate, the h 2b fy 2020 best practices presentation webinar is now available to watch online . as we approach the h 2b filing season, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds stakeholders that they can receive email notifications of oflc announcements. on december 11, 2019, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) conducted a webinar to update stakeholders on the process for filing h 2b applications requesting a work start date of april 1, 2020, or later. this webinar also provided best practices and helpful tips for preparing and submitting h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) using the foreign labor application gateway system. the presentation materials are now available on the h 2b temporary non agriculture program page of the oflc website and at the hyperlink below. important reminder: employers are reminded that they should file only one application for the same job opportunity. with limited exception, under 20 cfr 655.15(f) , only one application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices) may be filed for worksite(s) within one area of intended employment for each job opportunity with an employer for each period of employment. oflc will review and process only the application that is filed first, according to its timestamp. if oflc identifies multiple applications that appear to have been filed for the same job opportunity, oflc will consider the first application filed in timestamp order   irrespective of randomization group assignments   as the official application submitted by (or on behalf of) the employer. oflc will issue a notice of deficiency on the first application reviewed ( i.e., the application that is randomized closest to the top of the processing order) to require the employer to establish a bona fide need for all potentially duplicative applications. employers that fail to establish a bona fide need for each of the applications will receive a non acceptance denial for each application identified as a duplicate and received after the application that was filed first. any necessary corrections or amendments should be made to the first application filed. for further information on requesting a correction or amendment of an h 2b application before a final determination is issued, please refer to h 2b frequently asked questions round 11 . as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system and seasonaljobs.dol.gov were developed to replace the legacy icert system, improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs. the office of foreign labor certification is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders that the public job registry, which is a repository of temporary and seasonal jobs maintained through the icert system, will be decommissioned and transitioned to seasonaljobs.dol.gov . beginning on december 27, 2019 , members of the general public interested in obtaining information on temporary and seasonal jobs approved under the h 2a and h 2b visa programs will be redirected to seasonaljobs.dol.gov . initially launched in december 2018, seasonaljobs.dol.gov is a mobile friendly online portal that is designed to help americans identify and apply for open seasonal and temporary jobs. in addition to providing more robust and personalized search capabilities that tailor results to the geographic location of american job seekers, this site makes it easier to integrate employment postings with third party job search websites to make these job opportunities more accessible to job seekers. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase compliance assistance outreach and technical assistance to the stakeholder community, oflc is making available a series of presentations developed by its national processing centers highlighting recent trends in workload and identifying key filing issues and best practices. please click the links below to access each presentation: the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters for the h 2b program (as required by 20 cfr § 655.9(c) ). the list contains the name and location of persons or entities hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cases filed from october 1, 2018, through september 30, 2019. the list for fy 2019 is published in two parts. the fy 2019 1st 3rd quarter h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes foreign labor recruiters from h 2b applications filed on the previous version of the form eta 9142b. the fy 2019 4th quarter h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes foreign labor recruiters identified in appendix c of h 2b applications filed on the current version of the form eta 9142b. by publishing the foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is ensuring greater transparency for the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the u.s. department of labor and other agencies. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar that provides best practices and helpful tips for preparing h 2b applications for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b and appendices). the webinar will discuss: details of the webinars are as follows: date: wednesday, december 11, 2019 start time: 2:30 p.m. eastern time (lasting approximately 1 hour) link: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e029d7497a8ae370163092626c24da188 meeting password: welcome!68 call in information: please note: webinars are limited to 1,000 participants. the office of foreign labor certification perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, cw 1, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2019 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 4 fy 2019 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , cw 1 transitional worker program in the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 9/30/2019. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted a set of faqs, round 14, related to h 2a applications for temporary employment certification under the 2010 h 2a final rule. these faqs address questions related to the definition of agricultural labor or services for h 2a program purposes. to access the round 14 faqs, please click here . all forms associated with the cw 1 transitional worker program in the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands , contain an expiration date of september 30, 2019. the department is seeking approval from the office of management and budget to extend these application forms in one month increments starting october 2019. employers are permitted to continue filing applications for cw 1 applications for labor certifications and prevailing wage determinations in connection with the cw 1 program using the current forms, including any approved one month extensions, starting october 2019. as part of the department's technology modernization initiative, the flag system has been developed to replace the legacy icert system, improve customer service, and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs through the employment and training administration's office of foreign labor certification (oflc). oflc is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about implementation of its new flag system for the labor condition application (lca) programs covering the h 1b, h 1b1, and e 3 visa classifications. electronic filing of form eta 9035e, labor condition application for nonimmigrant workers technical assistance materials & instructional webinar oflc has created instructional videos to help educate the stakeholder community on how to create and manage a flag system account and prepare the form eta 9035e. to obtain more information and view these instructional videos, please visit the lca program page on the flag system. the new videos will be posted no later than friday, september 13, 2019 . additionally, oflc will host an instructional webinar on wednesday, september 18, 2019, to provide technical assistance to employers and authorized attorneys or agents on how to prepare the form eta 9035e using the new flag system. details of the webinars are as follows: date: wednesday, september 18, 2019 2:00 p.m. eastern time link: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e2547a36864b207335bad0d74f0abf45a meeting password: welcome!24 conference call in number: 888 469 1548 participant passcode: 2477817 please note: webinar is limited to 1,000 participants. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) announced changes to the forms and the online filing process for the h 2a temporary agricultural program. on august 22, 2019, the office of management and budget (omb) approved revisions for form eta 9142a, application for temporary employment certification , and appendix a, h 2a assurances and obligations . this approved package includes a newly designed form eta 790/790a, h 2a agricultural clearance order , to collect information about the employer’s agricultural job opportunity in an electronically fillable and fileable format, reducing the need for employers to submit "paper based" job orders to state workforce agencies (swas). omb also approved form eta 9142a, final determination: h 2a temporary labor certification approval , which allows oflc to begin issuing h 2a temporary labor certification approvals electronically to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents. the following schedule outlines when the new and updated forms will be used, as well as the migration from the icert to flag system . electronic filing schedule for new h 2a application forms beginning september 4, 2019 (at 12:00 p.m. eastern time): transition schedule for submitting h 2a applications in the icert and flag systems beginning on october 1, 2019 (at 12:00 p.m. eastern time): beginning on october 16, 2019 (at 12:00 p.m. eastern time): technical assistance materials and instructional webinar oflc has created instructional videos to help educate the stakeholder community on how to create and manage a flag system account and prepare the new h 2a application forms. to obtain more information and view these instructional videos, please visit the h 2a program page on the flag system. the new videos will be posted no later than september 6, 2019. additionally, oflc will host an instructional webinar on tuesday, september 10, 2019 , to provide technical assistance to employers and authorized attorneys or agents on how to prepare the new h 2a application forms using the new flag system. details of the webinars are as follows: date: tuesday, september 10, 2019, 2:00 p.m. eastern time link: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=ee295e97298ca28d44eceb0443347c774 meeting password: welcome!68 conference number: 1 800 369 3357 participant passcode: 4532103 please note: webinar is limited to 1,000 participants. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has released updated program fact sheets containing the selected statistics for the 3rd quarter of fy 2019 for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . these reports reflect program data through june 30, 2019. these fact sheets can also be found on oflc's performance data page . fact sheets for the cw 1 nonimmigrant visa program will be released beginning in the 4th quarter of fy 2019; however, program information for the cw 1 program can be found in the 3rd quarter public disclosure data file . the office of foreign labor certification has released disclosure data files for the perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, h 1b, and cw 1 programs for the 3rd quarter of fy 2019 . the department will perform routine maintenance on oflc's website, https://foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/ , which will require a temporary outage from friday, august 2, 2019, 3:00 p.m. eastern time until tuesday, august 6, 2019, 8:00 a.m. eastern time. system users will not be able to access oflc's website during this time. oflc's case processing systems flag, icert, and perm will continue to operate and be available for use. we apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience. the department of labor (dol) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) in the federal register to modernize and improve the h 2a program to include proposals that, among other things, would streamline and simplify the application process, strengthen protections for u.s. and foreign workers, and expand access to the h 2a program by revising the definition of agricultural labor to include employers engaged in reforestation and pine straw activities. the department seeks public comment on the nprm on or before september 24, 2019 . to obtain a copy of the nprm published in the federal register , please click here . on july 1, 2019, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) published the latest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment survey as generated by the bureau of labor statistics (bls) for use july 2019 june 2020. updates include: please direct any questions or comments regarding the effect of the bls updates on the prevailing wage determination process to the national prevailing wage center help desk via email at flc.pwd@dol.gov . furthering the agenda to help america's farmers, the department of labor (the department), employment and training administration and wage and hour division, today is posting online a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) to solicit public comment on proposed changes to improve the h 2a temporary agricultural labor certification program. these proposed changes would modernize the department's h 2a regulations in a way that is responsive to stakeholder concerns and enhances employer access to a legal source of agricultural labor, while maintaining the program's protections for the u.s. workforce and enhancing enforcement against fraud and abuse. the nprm includes several major proposals that would streamline and simplify the h 2a application process, strengthen protections for u.s. and foreign workers, and ease unnecessary burdens on employers. for example, the nprm would streamline the h 2a application process by mandating electronic filing of job orders and applications, promoting the use of digital signatures, and providing employers with the option of staggering the entry of h 2a workers on a single application. the nprm also proposes to strengthen protections for u.s. and foreign workers by enhancing standards applicable to rental housing and public accommodations, strengthening surety bond requirements, expanding the department's authority to use enforcement tools like program debarment for substantial violations of program rules, and updating the methodologies used to determine the adverse effect wage rates and prevailing wages to ensure u.s. workers similarly employed are not adversely impacted. finally, the nprm would expand access to the h 2a program by revising the definition of agricultural labor or services to include employers engaged in reforestation and pine straw activities, as workers performing these services share many of the same characteristics as traditional agricultural crews. the proposal would also codify and update procedures governing the certification for job opportunities in animal shearing, custom combining, beekeeping, and reforestation. the department is posting a copy of the nprm in advance of its publication in the federal register . a copy of the nprm can be found by clicking here . note : this version of the proposed regulations may vary slightly from the published document if minor technical or formatting changes are made during the review by the office of the federal register. only the version published in the federal register is the official proposed regulation. to keep the public informed regarding the submission and assignment of h 2b applications for review, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is announcing the assignment group(s) for 493 h 2b applications covering 12,098 worker positions with the start date of work of october 1, 2019 randomly selected for assignment. in accordance with procedures outlined in the department's process change announcement of february 26, 2019 , oflc successfully completed the randomization process on july 8 and assigned to npc analysts all of the h 2b applications placed in assignment group a for issuance of notices of deficiency or acceptance. because the total number of h 2b applications contain an insufficient number of workers positions to reach the first semiannual visa allotment (i.e., 33,000), no other assignment groups were created. additionally, on july 8, 2019, oflc provided written notice to each employer and, where applicable, the employer's authorized attorney or agent informing them about the assignment group for their application(s). to view the list of h 2b applications contained in assignment group a, click here . on thursday, july 11, 2019, the department will be performing routine maintenance on the perm system, which will require a temporary outage from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. system users will not be able to access the perm system during this time. we apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience. the department of labor's (department) office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about implementation of its new foreign labor application gateway (flag) system for the h 2b program. on july 3, 2019, oflc, in collaboration with the department's office of the chief information officer, successfully launched a new h 2b electronic filing module within the flag system to support employers seeking temporary labor certification to employ h 2b workers starting on or after october 1, 2019. as of 3:00 p.m. eastern time today, oflc has received approximately 326 h 2b applications covering more than 7,942 worker positions with no service interruptions . additionally, the department deactivated the ability to file h 2b applications in the legacy icert system as of midnight today. the department recognizes that technology is a key enabler for oflc to deliver the highest quality customer service, and implementing the flag system will ensure our technology capabilities are modern, secure, and resilient. following the temporary service interruptions of january 1, 2019, the flag system modernization effort for the h 2b program was initiated in late march 2019 with the goal to replace the legacy icert h 2b module and provide improved and streamlined external customer experience starting with the fiscal year (fy) 2020 visa allotment season. the department is pleased to announce that it met this goal by developing and deploying this new modernized solution using cloud based technology. to support implementation of the flag system's h 2b electronic filing module, oflc delivered a series of public webinars and provided instructional videos in june 2019 to educate stakeholders on how to obtain and manage user accounts and prepare for submission of new h 2b applications forms beginning july 3, 2019. finally, for stakeholders who may experience any technical issues, the flag system offers a new automated "ticketing system" so customers can more efficiently request assistance and receive a unique service ticket number to effectively track resolution of their request. on july 8, 2019, the department will randomly select for assignment and processing all cases received between july 3rd and july 5th for october 1, 2019, employment start dates for the first half of the fy 2020 h 2b statutory cap, fully implementing the department's process change announcement of february 26, 2019 , and efforts to provide a more equitable application process. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reminds stakeholders of important changes for the electronic filing of the h 2b application for temporary employment certification form (form eta 9142b). the office of foreign labor certification received an updated cw 1 wage survey from the governor of the commonwealth of northern mariana islands (cnmi), including updates to the wages provided in the initial survey. oflc has approved the governor’s second survey for 291 occupations and will begin issuing updated prevailing wages beginning july 1, 2019 for the occupations covered by the second survey. oflc will post the updated cw 1 wage table under the "prevailing wage information" tab on the cw 1 program page but will not apply the updated wages until july 1, 2019. the posting of the updated cw 1 wage table will coincide with the bureau of labor statistics, occupational employment statistics program wage updates that occur on july 1 of each year. on friday, june 28, 2019, the department will be performing routine maintenance on the icert system, which will require a temporary outage from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. system users will not be able to access the icert system during this time. we apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience. as part of the u.s. department of labor's compliance assistance and technology modernization initiatives, the foreign labor application gateway (flag) system will replace the icert system in order to improve customer service and modernize the foreign labor certification process. with regards to the h 2b program, this enhanced platform will be effective on july 3, 2019. the employment and training administration's office of foreign labor certification invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar demonstrating the flag system and provide an opportunity for stakeholders to ask questions through an online chat room. information regarding the flag system demonstration is as follows: date: friday, june 21, 2019, 2:00 p.m. eastern time link: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e1945aff71eb8dcc31c42eb16f481729f meeting password: welcome!68 call in information: conference number: 1 800 369 1976 participant passcode: 2810956 please note: webinars are limited to 1,000 participants. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has received omb approval for revisions to the h 2b application for temporary employment certification (form eta 9142b) and corresponding appendices, and related forms and instructions. these revisions will better align information collection requirements with the department's regulations, provide greater clarity to employers on regulatory requirements, standardize and streamline information collection to reduce employer time and burden preparing applications, and promote greater efficiency and transparency in oflc's review and issuance of labor certification decisions under the h 2b program. this new form must be used for all new h 2b applications beginning july 3, 2019. to obtain a copy of the new h 2b application form and its instructions, please click here . transition schedule for submitting the new h 2b application forms electronic filing of the new h 2b application forms in the flag system technical assistance materials & webinars oflc has created instructional videos to help educate the stakeholder community on how to create and manage a flag system account and prepare the form eta 9142b and corresponding appendices. to obtain more information and view these instructional videos, please visit the h 2b program page on the flag system at https://flag.dol.gov/ . the new videos will be posted on june 7, 2019. additionally, oflc will host webinars on june 13, 2019, to provide technical assistance to employers and authorized attorneys or agents on the changes to the h 2b application forms. details of the webinars are as follows: date: june 13, 2019 time: 10:00 a.m. eastern time and 2:00 p.m. eastern time webinar links: 10:00 a.m. eastern time: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e485b340b4f791da058493683c7b26216 2:00 p.m. eastern time: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e20df031b64d7816654e330548ae487a9 meeting password: welcome!24 both meetings will use this call in information: conference number: 1 888 790 3323 participant passcode: 8418168 please note: each of the webinars is limited to 1,000 participants. the icert system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, june 6, 2019 from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm edt. as part of the department’s technology modernization initiative, the flag system is being developed to improve customer service and modernize the administration of foreign labor certification programs through the employment and training administration’s office of foreign labor certification (oflc). technology is a key enabler for oflc to deliver the highest quality customer service, and implementing the flag system will ensure our technology capabilities are modern, secure, and resilient. flag system implementation: form eta 9141 important reminder : oflc’s national prevailing wage center (npwc) will process all form eta 9141s submitted through the icert system before 12:00 a.m. eastern time, monday, june 10, 2019, and stakeholders will still be able to access their icert system accounts to check the status of their applications and obtain prevailing wage determinations. technical assistance materials oflc has developed a series of instructional videos to help educate the stakeholder community on how to create and manage a flag system account and content to prepare the form eta 9141 for submission to the npwc. to obtain more information and view these instructional videos, please visit the prevailing wage program page on the flag system at https://flag.dol.gov/ . new videos will be posted friday, june 7, 2019. the h 2a application for temporary employment certification, form eta 9142a and appendix a, and the application for prevailing wage determination, form eta 9141, are set to expire on may 31, 2019. the department is seeking approval from the office of management and budget (omb) to extend these application forms in one month increments starting june 2019. until omb grants approval, employers are permitted to continue filing h 2a and prevailing wage applications using the current forms, including any approved one month extensions, starting june 1, 2019. the office of foreign labor certification has developed faqs for the implementation of the department of labor’s cw 1 interim final rule governing the cw 1 prevailing wage determination and temporary labor certification processes. the faqs are posted on the cw 1 program page here . the direct link to the faqs may be found here . as part of the office of foreign labor certification’s (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase public outreach and technical assistance to the stakeholder community, oflc is making available a series of presentations developed by its national processing centers highlighting recent trends in workload and identifying key filing issues and best practices. as part of the department’s it modernization initiative, oflc is also making available a general presentation on its new flag labor application gateway (flag) system, which is designed to continuously improve oflc business processes and stakeholder experience with our services. for more information on the flag system, please click here . please click the hyperlinks below to access each presentation. the department is issuing this announcement that perm round 14 faq regarding perm withdrawals, requests for reconsideration or balca review, and pay differentials (cost of labor adjustments) has been posted. to access the new faqs, please click here . the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) received a cw 1 wage survey from the governor of the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands (cnmi) covering 84 occupations. oflc has approved the governor's survey and started issuing cw 1 prevailing wage determinations today using the survey wages for occupations covered by the governor's survey. oflc has also posted the survey wages under the "helpful links" tab on the cw 1 program page . the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published form eta 9142 b caa 3 and the accompanying instructions in support of the temporary rule jointly issued by the department of homeland security and the department of labor, titled "exercise of time limited authority to increase the fiscal year 2019 numerical limitation for the h 2b temporary nonagricultural worker program." the temporary rule was published in the federal register on may 8, 2019, with an immediate effective date. the secretary of homeland security has decided, after consultation with dol, to increase the h 2b cap for fy 2019 by up to 30,000 additional visas for american businesses that are likely to suffer irreparable harm (that is, permanent and severe financial loss) without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested on their respective petitions before the end of fy 2019. the temporary rule requires an employer to conduct additional recruitment of u.s. workers when it submits a request to dhs for h 2b visas made available by the regulation if the employer submits that request to dhs more than 45 days after the start date of need listed on the temporary labor certification issued by dol. the temporary rule also requires that, for purpose of the fy 2019 one time increase, any h 2b nonimmigrants falling under this cap increase be limited to returning workers who were issued an h 2b visa or were otherwise granted h 2b status in fy 2016, 2017, or 2018. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap before the end of fiscal year 2019. the attestation is also available on the forms and instructions section of the oflc website found at: https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/form.cfm. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 2 fy 2019 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 3/31/2019. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page. the office of foreign labor certification perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 2 of fy 2019 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the icert system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, may 2, 2019 from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm edt. pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters and the identity and location of persons or entities hired by or working for the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification . the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from october 1, 2018 through march 31, 2019. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department and other agencies and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2017 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . archived foreign labor recruiter lists may be found here . the icert and perm systems may be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: friday, april 12, 2019 from 10:00 pm edt to saturday, april 13, 12:00 pm edt. the perm system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, april 11, 2019 from 8:00 pm edt to 11:00 pm edt. publication of cw 1 ifr : on april 1, 2019, the office of the federal register published the department's ifr, as required by the northern mariana islands u.s. workforce act of 2018 (pub. l. 115 218). to read the full text of the cw 1 ifr in the federal register, please click here . the cw 1 ifr will become effective on april 4, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time . application forms to implement the cw 1 ifr : the office of management and budget (omb) has authorized use of the forms eta 9141c, application for prevailing wage determination and eta 9142c, application for temporary employment certification , and the accompanying general instructions to support implementation of the cw 1 ifr. to obtain a copy of the application forms, please visit the form and instructions section of the oflc website here . implementation of cw 1 electronic filing module : as required by the cw 1 ifr and except for employers that lack adequate access to electronic filing, either due to lack of internet access or physical disability, employers must use oflc's foreign labor application gateway (flag) system to file the omb approved application forms. employers are required to submit the form eta 9141c and obtain a valid prevailing wage determination (pwd) before filing the form eta 9142c requesting temporary labor certification. at 3:00 p.m. eastern time on april 1, 2019, oflc's flag system will permit employers and their authorized attorneys or agents to begin preparing requests for pwds in advance of the cw 1 ifr's effective date. however, employers will not be able to submit requests for pwds until the cw 1 ifr becomes effective on april 4, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. to access oflc's flag system, please click here . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase public outreach and awareness, and to provide the outreach and training required by the cnmi workforce act, oflc will host two webinars on march 28, 2019, and april 2, 2019 chamorro standard time (gmt+10). the webinars are designed to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents on how to complete and submit a cw 1 application for temporary employment certification. the content of both webinars will be the same. details of the webinars are as follows: date: march 28, 2019 & april 2, 2019 time: 8:00 a.m   9:30 a.m chamorro standard time or 6:00 p.m   7:30 p.m est (march 27, 2019 & april 1, 2019) march 28, 2019 chamorro standard time (march 27 est) webinar link: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=ec8b22804075b9d3689d107f3b6ef5f1c april 2, 2019 chamorro standard time (april 1 est) webinar link: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e236a06b6c9f922d90384d08b3f60a6ce teleconference (both meetings can use the same numbers below) toll free phone number: 888 603 7040 toll number: 1 312 470 0014 participant passcode: 8026950 meeting password (both meetings): welcome!24 the employment and training administration (eta) of the department of labor has issued a notice in the federal register to announce the annual update to the allowable charges that employers seeking h 2a workers in occupations other than range herding may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence. to read the notice, please click here . washington, dc   the department of labor (the department or dol) is posting an interim final rule (ifr) as required by the northern mariana islands u.s. workforce act of 2018 (workforce act), pub. l. 115 218 (july 24, 2018). dol is posting a copy of the ifr in advance of its publication in the federal register . a copy of the ifr can be found at https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/pdf/cnmi_ifr.pdf . the ifr establishes the process by which an employer in the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands (cnmi) will obtain a prevailing wage and temporary labor certification (tlc) from the department for use in petitioning the department of homeland security (dhs) to employ a nonimmigrant worker in cw 1 visa status. as required by the workforce act, a tlc granted by the department serves as confirmation to dhs that an insufficient number of qualified u.s. workers are available to fill the employer's job opportunity in the cnmi, and the employment of a cw 1 worker will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of similarly employed u.s. workers. the department's actions will help employers, through more robust domestic recruitment, find u.s. workers for positions the employers would otherwise seek to fill with cw 1 workers. the rule also establishes important protections for both cw 1 workers and u.s. workers in corresponding employment and ensures that no u.s. worker is placed at a competitive disadvantage compared to a cw 1 worker or is displaced by a cw 1 worker. several provisions will improve transparency between employers and workers, such as requiring employers to provide workers with detailed earnings statements on or before each payday, disclose all deductions from pay, and a copy of the work contract in a language understood by the workers. to protect the program from fraud and abuse, the department has authority to impose sanctions on employers who violate program requirements, such as more intensive or assisted recruitment requirements, revocation of a granted tlc, and debarment from all employment based immigration programs administered by the department for up to five years. the ifr will be effective on and after april 4, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. eastern time. the ifr will provide the public with a comment period, lasting 60 days from the date the ifr is published in the federal register, during which interested parties will be able to submit public comments on the rule. no cw 1 applications will be accepted until the ifr goes into effect on april 4, 2019. cw 1 employers will use the foreign labor application gateway (flag), which can be accessed at the following website: https://flag.dol.gov . the department will provide user guides and conduct informational webinars on the new system for the public beginning this week. in the coming weeks, the department will conduct outreach and provide materials on the new regulatory requirements for stakeholders interested in the cw 1 program, and further details on those outreach events and materials will be announced on the oflc website at www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov . in the meantime, interested stakeholders may obtain a detailed factsheet on the new regulations, https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/pdf/cnmi_ifr_factsheet.pdf , as well as a copy of the ifr that will be published in the federal register , https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/pdf/cw_ifr.pdf , at the enclosed links. note : these versions of the regulations may vary slightly from the published document if minor technical or formatting changes are made during the review by the office of the federal register. only the version published in the federal register is the official regulation. the department today announced updates to its procedures for processing h 2b applications. because of the intense competition for h 2b visas in recent years, the department's technology and available staff resources have been challenged to handle the increasingly large volume of h 2b applications filed on january 1 of each year. as a result of stakeholder comments and the most recent filing period in which the icert electronic filing system experienced a service disruption due to the large volume of system user requests, the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) reassessed its procedures for processing h 2b applications. today, oflc announced that all h 2b applications filed on or after july 3, 2019 will be randomly ordered for processing based on the date of filing and the start date of work requested. oflc will randomly order and assign for processing all of the h 2b applications requesting the earliest start date of work permitted under the semi annual visa allocation (i.e., october 1 or april 1) and filed during the first three calendar days of the regulatory time period for filing h 2b applications. once first actions are issued, oflc will randomly assign for processing all other h 2b applications filed on a single calendar day. oflc is seeking comments on this procedural change for a period of 30 calendar days from the date that the notice is published in the federal register. interested stakeholders may submit comments to h2breform.comments@dol.gov or thomas m. dowd, deputy assistant secretary, employment and training administration, u.s. department of labor, box ppii 12 200, 200 constitution avenue, nw, washington, dc 20210. oflc will review all of the comments received, make any changes it determines are appropriate, and issue a final announcement prior to july 3, 2019. stakeholders can access a full copy of the procedural announcement here . scheduled maintenance   presidents day weekend the u.s. department of labor will be conducting scheduled system maintenance beginning friday, february 15 at 5:00 p.m. et through tuesday, february 19 at 8:00 a.m. et. users should expect that oflc's website, https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/ , and the icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the maintenance window. the department of labor (the department) published a 60 day notice in the federal register informing the public of proposed revisions to form eta 9141, application for prevailing wage determination , for the purpose of requesting public comments. the objectives of the form eta 9141 revisions are to better align information collection requirements with the department's current regulatory framework, streamline information collection across programs to reduce employer's time and burden in preparing applications, and promote greater efficiency and transparency in the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) review and issuance of prevailing wage determinations. proposed changes to the form include addition of fields for the name and details of the attorney or agent filing the form on behalf of its employer client, formatted field for alternative requirements for the job opportunity instead of the current free text field, and addition of an appendix to standardize the collection of requests for prevailing wage determinations for multiple worksites. any written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. copies of the 60 day notice, supporting statement, and the proposed forms and instructions are provided below: the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 1 fy 2019 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 12/31/2018.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 1 of fy 2019 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters. the list also contains the identity and location of persons or entities hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from october 1, 2018 through december 31, 2018. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department of labor, other agencies, and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2017 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . archived foreign labor recruiter lists may be found here . in continuing to keep the public well informed regarding submission and processing of h 2b applications for temporary employment certification and the icert system, the department of labor (the department) has the following updates: the department is processing applications according to procedures announced on june 1, 2018, whereby applications are assigned to analysts for processing based on the date and time at which the application was received into the system. under normal, pre established procedures, notices of acceptance and notices of deficiency will be issued on a rolling basis, and certifications will be issued as the employer meets all regulatory requirements. applicants' official receipt date and time are saved in the icert database and displayed on the applicants h 2b portfolio screen. this official date and time determines the order in which applications are assigned for processing. the department has received questions about the difference between timestamps displayed in icert and timestamps contained in emails confirming the submission of applications. when an applicant submits an application, the system generates a courtesy email to the applicant which confirms the submission. the date and time in the courtesy email, however, does not represent the official date and time of the applicant's submission . rather, it indicates the time at which the email was generated. to reiterate, the official date and time of each application may be viewed in the applicant's h 2b portfolio screen through the applicant's icert system account. the department undertook an after action analysis of the icert system's january 7, 2019 performance. through a review of the data logs, the department has determined that 186 applicants submitted the same application more than once in the icert system. because the icert database overwrites the previous date and time stamp when a new submission is made, the official date and time saved in the icert database is the date and time of the final submission. for these 186 applications, the department was able to determine the time of the first submission down to the second. for the 152 applicants with multiple submissions within the same second, the final time stamp to the millisecond is reflected in the official date and time. in the remaining 34 cases, the submissions were made outside of the same second. those applications are now at the first submission's second. these time stamps are reflected in the official receipt date and time that may be viewed on the h 2b portfolio screen through an icert system account. some users received an outage banner which delayed or blocked access to the h 2b page in the icert system. to increase processing capacity on january 7, 2019, the department scaled up icert infrastructure to 50 load balanced servers. one of the pathways to these servers did not allow access to the icert's h 2b module system at the 2:00 p.m. est opening of the system, and for approximately two and half hours thereafter. all icert users were randomly assigned to a server at log on as per a standard load balancing algorithm. as a result, users assigned to this particular pathway experienced the outage banner and may have been delayed from getting into icert's h 2b module. in addition, the department received questions regarding whether there was a restoration of data due to data corruption. there was no restoration of data from back up and no data corruption found connected to the system disruption of january 1, 2019. the department was notified that some applicants were missing certain required data or attachments from their applications. as per standard practice, applicants are encouraged to log into their icert accounts and verify that their applications are complete and accurate. if any attachments are missing, applicants may upload them at any time. if any required data fields on the eta 9142b are missing or inaccurate, applicants may contact the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) help desk at tlc.chicago@dol.gov and provide the relevant h 2b case number and explain the necessary corrections. in light of the unprecedented demand for h 2b labor certifications, the department is considering rulemaking changing the process by which applications are ordered for processing, including randomization and other methods. in the interim, the department welcomes comments and suggestions from the public on these matters. comments and suggestions should be directed to the h2breform.comments@dol.gov . the department of labor's (dol) office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about the high volume of applications received requesting temporary labor certification under the h 2b visa program. oflc has received for processing approximately 5,276 h 2b applications covering more than 96,400 worker positions . except where a statutory exemption applies, the department of homeland security (dhs) may only issue up to 33,000 h 2b visas for employers seeking to hire h 2b workers during the second half of fy 2019 (april 1 to september 30). this unprecedented level of employer requests for h 2b workers is nearly three times greater than the 33,000 semi annual visa allotment for fy 2019 permitted under the immigration and nationality act (ina). the oflc takes each request for temporary labor certification seriously and administers the labor certification program in a manner that protects the wages and working conditions of both h 2b and u.s. workers who support the seasonal workforce needs of u.s. small businesses, consumers, and communities. processing of h 2b applications in order to process this significant surge of applications in a more equitable manner and to clarify the time at which an application is received, oflc issued a public announcement on june 1, 2018, that it will sequentially assign h 2b applications to analysts based on the calendar date and time on which the applications are received (i.e., receipt date and time). receipt time will be measured to the millisecond, e.g., 12:00:00.000 a.m. oflc's technology servers are located in the eastern time zone; therefore, the time an application is received and assigned to analysts is based on eastern time (et). applications submitted from other time zones may be filed as early as 12:00:00.000 a.m. et. once assigned, the analysts will initiate review of each h 2b application in the order of receipt date and time, and in accordance with 20 c.f.r. 655.30. based on the analyst's review, the certifying officer (co) will authorize issuance of either a notice of acceptance (noa) under 20 c.f.r. 655.33 or a notice of deficiency (nod) under 20 c.f.r. 655.31. following issuance of noas and/or nods, the applications will be processed as each successive stage in the process is completed. employers receiving noas may proceed to meet the additional regulatory requirements, including recruitment of u.s. workers and submission of recruitment reports. employers receiving nods must correct any deficiencies and then receive a noa before proceeding to meet the additional regulatory requirements. as a result, for each application, analysts' review of nod responses and recruitment reports, and issuance of final decisions (certifications and denials) will follow in the order in which each sequential step required by the regulations is concluded, irrespective of the receipt time of the application. as required, oflc will grant temporary labor certification only after the employer's h 2b application has met all the requirements for approving labor certification under 20 cfr 655.50 and the subpart. in accordance with regulatory requirements, oflc will send all certified h 2b applications to the applicant by means normally assuring next day delivery. oflc will issue rejections, withdrawals, and denials of labor certification applications as each determination is made by the co. background on statutory limit of h 2b visas the ina set at 66,000 the annual number of aliens who may be issued h 2b visas or otherwise provided h 2b nonimmigrant status by the dhs to perform temporary non agricultural work. up to 33,000 h 2b visas may be issued in the first half of a fiscal year (october 1 to march 31), and the remaining annual allocation will be available for employers seeking to hire h 2b workers during the second half of the fiscal year (april 1 to september 30). if insufficient petitions are approved to use all h 2b numbers in a given fiscal year, the unused numbers cannot be carried over for petition approvals in the next fiscal year. on december 12, 2018, the dhs united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) announced that the first half of the annual number of h 2b visas for fiscal year (fy) 2019 was reached and, except where a statutory exemption applies, uscis will reject new h 2b petitions requesting an employment start date on or before march 31, 2019. in accordance with the ina, uscis will accept new h 2b petitions for the remaining 33,000 visas available for fy 2019 where the employer has received a temporary labor certification from the dol and requests an employment start date on or after april 1, 2019. last operating status : the department's icert rapid response team has continued to monitor the icert system, which has consistently been open for service since 2:00 p.m. est and successfully handled the submission of approximately 5,021 h 2b applications covering more than 92,400 workers positions for an april 1, 2019, start date of work within the first two hours of operation . application filing services through the icert system will remain open and the department will continue to closely monitor the situation. operating status : the department's icert rapid response team has continued to monitor the icert system, which has now successfully handled the submission of approximately 4,749 h 2b applications covering more than 87,900 workers positions for an april 1, 2019, start date of work within the first one hour of operation . application filing services through the icert system will remain open and the department will continue to closely monitor the situation. operating status : the icert system for application processing opened for service promptly at 2:00 p.m. est today. the department's icert rapid response team continuously monitored the system's server capacity, which successfully handled the submission of approximately 4,195 h 2b applications covering more than 79,500 workers positions for an april 1, 2019, start date of work within the first 30 minutes of operation . application filing services through the icert system will remain open and the department will continue to closely monitor the situation. the icert system for application processing is scheduled to open at 2:00 p.m. est on monday, january 7, 2019. the department has enhanced system capacity and performed intensive testing and performance tuning on the icert system to simulate the expected activity of a large number of simultaneous system users. out of an abundance of caution, the department is prepared to activate an emergency application filing process, called the h 2b case submission ticketing portal, in the unlikely event a system disruption occurs or the department determines that it is prudent to activate. during the stakeholder conference call held on friday, january 4, 2019, the department committed to providing the stakeholder community with procedural information on the emergency application filing process before 12:00 p.m. est today. accordingly, the department provided icert system account holders, who have a pending h 2b application containing a start date of work on or after april 1, 2019, with step by step instructions for using the h 2b case submission ticketing portal. the electronic mail (e mail) communications were issued throughout the early morning hours today. to view a sample of the electronic communication sent to icert system account holders with a pending h 2b application, please click here . important reminder: this web service portal will only be activated in the event of an emergency or the department's determination that it is prudent to activate and upon electronic notice from the department through the icert system website ( https://icert.doleta.gov ). the department held a conference call on friday, january 4, 2019, to update stakeholders on the status of the icert system and timeline to restore services at 2:00 p.m. est on monday, january 7, 2019 . the department is issuing this announcement in response to specific questions regarding passwords for the icert system. to access the new faqs, please click here . the icert system for application processing is tentatively scheduled to open at 2:00 p.m. est on monday, january 7, 2019. today, the u.s. department of labor held a conference call to update stakeholders on the status of the icert system. the department is confident the icert system will open for service at 2:00 p.m. eastern on monday, january 7, 2019. the department is issuing this announcement in order to respond to important questions stemming from today's conference call impacting the broader stakeholder community. to access the faqs, please click here . due to an unprecedented volume of simultaneous system users that included applications for 97,800 workers on january 1, 2019, the legacy icert system experienced a failure preventing applications for h 2b temporary labor certifications from being submitted to the department. the department's icert rapid response team has been working non stop to address all issues. steps taken to recover and restore stability to the icert system include: the h 2b program is statutorily limited to 66,000 worker positions annually with 33,000 allocated to each half of the fiscal year. h 2b applications are date and time stamped to establish the order of submission, because of the demand for the program. a huge surge in user activity is expected upon the reopening of the icert system on january 7, especially in the first 15 minutes. the non h 2b users should not attempt to log into the system until 3:00 p.m. the department's icert rapid response team will be monitoring the system's servers continuously when services are restored. out of an abundance of caution, we have established and will be prepared to activate a backup solution should an unlikely new system disruption occur. we understand how important our programs are for employers and realize this workforce is critical to meeting the seasonal needs of many employers across the nation. the icert system for application processing is tentatively scheduled to open at 2:00 p.m. est on monday, january 7, 2019. the department is currently testing the system to process a record number of applicants. dol has made 50 servers available for processing, more than eight times as many as available for processing on january 1, 2019. to offer a further detailed update, senior leaders of the employment and training administration will be conducting a conference call tomorrow, friday, january 4, 2019 at 2:00 p.m est. to provide a further update on the status of the icert system. the conference call can be accessed by calling 1 888 946 6304 and using participant code 9462870. question : i am an h 2a employer impacted by the icert system failure that occurred in the early morning of january 1, 2019, and was not able to file my application 45 days before the start date of work. when system service is restored, will the chicago npc consider the recent system outage as a qualifying emergency? answer : yes. the department recognizes that some employers are not able to submit their h 2a applications at least 45 calendar days before the start date of work due to the temporary icert system outage. we consider this situation to qualify as good and substantial cause under 20 cfr 655.134. when the department has restored system service, employers with start dates of need less than 45 days from the date of restored service may file their h 2a applications with the chicago npc using emergency procedures and should include a statement that their request for a waiver of the regulatory timeframe for filing is based on the temporary icert system outage. question : i am an employer impacted by the icert system failure that occurred in the early morning of january 1, 2019. may i submit my h 2b application by mail to the chicago national processing center (npc)? answer : yes. in accordance with 20 cfr 655.15(c), an employer may submit the h 2b application for temporary employment certification and all required supporting documentation to the npc either electronically or by mail. an employer submitting by mail must send the h 2b application to the address listed below. office of foreign labor certification chicago national processing center 11 west quincy court chicago, il 60604 2105 attn: h 2b program unit the chicago npc does not accept hand delivered applications. question : i am an employer who mailed an h 2b application to the chicago npc and i understand from the department of labor's june 1, 2018, public announcement that applications are assigned to analysts based on the calendar date and time on which the applications are received. what procedures does the chicago npc use for mailed in applications and how are the receipt dates and times affixed to these applications? answer : the chicago npc receives two shipments of mail each business day; one at approximately 10:00am central standard time (cst) and a second one at 2:00pm cst. for each shipment received, consistent with standard operating procedures, the chicago npc opens each mail item and establishes a receipt date. the following summarizes how the chicago npc handles mailed in applications: important note: as a result of the process described above, applications sent by mail will generally be filed in the system more slowly. the opening of mail and subsequent timely entry of the mailed in applications is highly sensitive to the level of data entry resources available at the chicago npc. submitting identical applications electronically and by mail is also not recommended and it may delay the processing of your application. within the first five minutes of opening the semi annual h 2b certification process on january 1, 2019, the u.s. department of labor icert system had an unprecedented demand for h 2b certifications with more than 97,800 workers requested in pending applications for the 33,000 available visas. with more than thirty times the user demand on the icert system compared to last year on january 1, the icert system experienced a system disruption. the employment and training administration, working with the department of labor's office of the chief information officer, is working diligently to have the system ready within a few days to accept a record number of h 2b applications. enhancing system capacity and dealing with other factors such as the possible use of automated script programs during the application process are being addressed in icert to ensure certifications can be processed. as previously stated, the department will be giving at least 24 hours' notice before the icert system is re opened. a further update will be provided on thursday, january 3, 2019. the department of labor's (dol) office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this announcement to assure employers and other interested stakeholders that the temporary lapse in appropriations for some federal government programs and activities does not directly impact the administration of oflc programs. a full year appropriations through september 30, 2019, for all dol program and activities was enacted by congress on september 28, 2018. the oflc national processing centers and the icert system are open and operating as normally scheduled. the department of labor's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this announcement to remind employers and other interested stakeholders that h 2b applications for temporary employment certification, form eta 9142b, with april 1, 2019, start dates may be filed no earlier than january 1, 2019 at 12:00:00.000 a.m. eastern time. applications with an april 1 start date that are filed before january 1, 2019 at 12:00:00.000 a.m. eastern time will be denied, and the employer will be required to refile its application. filers are reminded that oflc's technology servers are located in the eastern time zone; therefore, the time an application is received is based on eastern time. please reference the h 2b processing guidance that was previously published as an announcement on oflc's website on june 1, 2018, for additional information regarding oflc's processing of h 2b applications. the department of labor (dol) has published a notice in the federal register announcing the new aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program. the aewr is the minimum wage rate dol has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new national monthly aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range. to access the notice please click here . the department of labor (dol) has published a notice in the federal register announcing the new aewr in each state to perform agricultural labor or service other than herding and production of livestock on the range for the h 2a program, based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewr is the minimum wage rate dol has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. the notice announces the new hourly aewr for each state. to access the notice please click here . the employment and training administration's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is issuing clarifications to the non substantive changes to application forms for temporary labor certification under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the below frequently asked questions are intended to provide employers with assistance in completing section h, items h.6a, h.6b, and/or h.6c, before the application can be submitted. question : i am a small employer that does not maintain a website where u.s. workers can apply for my job opportunities. can i comply with the collection requirements in section h.6.c, forms eta 9142a and 9142b, by entering the website of the state workforce agency (swa) where i placed my job opportunity for recruiting u.s. workers? answer : yes. the general instructions for section h.6.c, forms eta 9142a and 9142b, require the employer to provide a website address where u.s. workers can apply, or enter "n/a" where no website address is available. the employer is also required to use a valid format when entering the website address, and the general instructions identify a number of valid website address suffixes, including those covering government agencies. because employers are required by regulation to place job orders with the swa and place other advertisements directing applicants to apply for the job opportunity at the nearest swa in the states in which their advertisements appear, and include contact information for the relevant swa in their advertisements, the employer may enter the website address of the swa where the job opportunity is posted in section h.6.c. employers are reminded to report swa referrals of qualified and available u.s. workers on their recruitment reports. question : i am completing my application and usually do not include a phone number, email address, or website address for the state workforce agency (swa) job order. do i need to edit my job order to include the same information in sections h.6.a, h.6.b., and h.6.c.? answer : no. the department will review the application along with the swa job order and issue a notice of deficiency (nod) where the employer or their authorized agents or attorneys provide contact information (e.g., phone, email, web site) that is different from that provided on the swa job order. for instance, if the employer or its authorized agent or attorney provides a phone number and email address as its contact information on the swa job order where u.s. workers can apply, and the information submitted on the forms eta 9142a or 9142b is different, a nod will be issued to provide the employer with an opportunity to correct the discrepancy. however, if an employer or its authorized agent or attorney provides other methods of contact information on the swa job order, such as a fax number and physical address, the department will not issue a nod but will view this as additional methods for u.s. workers to apply for the job. important notice: employers that have prepared cases in icert, but have not yet submitted them, will need to login to icert and complete section h, items h.6a, h.6b, and/or h.6c, before the application can be submitted. if two of the three items are not completed, employers will not be able to submit their application. the employment and training administration's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will be implementing non substantive changes to application forms for temporary labor certification under the h 2a and h 2b programs. these changes are intended to offer greater assistance to prospective u.s. workers applying for job opportunities. employers that have prepared cases in icert, but have not yet submitted them, will need to take additional actions on their application . as of december 19, 2018, oflc implemented non substantive changes to section h, items h.6a, h.6b, and h.6c, on the forms eta 9142a and eta 9142b. these changes have been approved by the office of management and budget. specifically, the revised application forms require collection of the following information related to recruiting u.s. workers for the employer's job opportunity: (1) a phone number where u.s. workers can apply, (2) an email address where u.s. workers can apply, and (3) a website address where u.s. workers can apply. as per the instructions, an employer must provide a minimum of two of the three categories of information through which prospective u.s. workers can contact the employer and apply for the job opportunity. stakeholders can access a copy of the form instructions and revised forms eta 9142a and eta 9142b here . the h 2b application for temporary employment certification, form eta 9142b and all appendices, are set to expire on december 31, 2018. the department is seeking approval from the office of management and budget (omb) to extend these application forms in one month increments starting january 2019. until omb grants approval, employers are permitted to continue filing h 2b applications using the current forms, including any approved one month extensions, starting january 1, 2019. the revised form eta 9035/9035e powerpoint presentation can be accessed on the office of foreign labor certification's additional resources tab located here . also posted under the additional resources tab is a side by side comparison of the major form revisions and factsheet that provides further explanation of the revisions. on november 9, 2018, the department of labor (dol) published in the federal register a nprm to modernize the advertising requirements for the h 2a program. on november 9, 2018, dol also jointly published with the department of homeland security, a separate nprm proposing to modernize the advertising requirements for the h 2b program. both nprms provide for the submission of public comments through december 10, 2018. in response to requests to extend the comment period, dol has published subsequent notices in the federal register to extend both comment periods through december 28, 2018. the h 2a federal register notice can be accessed here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/10/2018 26766/modernizing recruitment requirements for the temporary employment of h 2a foreign workers in the#addresses the h 2b federal register notice can be accessed here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/10/2018 26767/modernizing recruitment requirements for the temporary employment of h 2b foreign workers in the as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) continuing efforts to increase public outreach and awareness, oflc will host a a webinar on wednesday, december 19, 2018, designed to provide technical assistance regarding the electronic helpdesk inquiry submission process associated with the permanent labor certification online system helpdesk module. details of the webinar are as follows: date: wednesday, december 19, 2018 time: 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. est link to the webinar: https://dol.webex.com/dol/j.php?mtid=m2474cd0ef88e547ee22c2a879c30f9d5 teleconference: 1 877 917 3612 attendee access code: 7763886 meeting password: welcome!68 the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is announcing a new filing tip for employers submitting an h 2b form eta 9142b in connection with a future filed h 2b nonimmigrant petition that falls under section 1045 of the national defense authorization act (ndaa) for fiscal year 2019, as discussed in united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) policy memorandum, pm 602 0164, for services or labor to be performed by h 2b workers in the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands (cnmi). an employer requesting h 2b temporary labor certification, whose job opportunity qualifies for the ndaa temporary need exemption described in pm 602 0164, should indicate such exemption in section b.9 (statement of temporary need) of the form eta 9142b in lieu of a temporary need statement. specifically, a qualifying employer should enter the following statement in section b.9: "n/a   job opportunity for services or labor to be performed by h 2b workers in the cnmi qualifies for ndaa temporary need exemption under uscis pm 602 0164." this standard language is designed to provide employers with an efficient and standard way to inform the oflc chicago national processing center that the job opportunity being requested for temporary labor certification is subject to the statutory exemption. as uscis will make the final decision as to whether an h 2b petition is covered by the provisions of section 1045 of the ndaa, and eligibility for the h 2b classification, employers are encouraged to review eligibility criteria carefully in pm 602 0164, which is available on uscis's website here: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/uscis/laws/memoranda/2018/2018 10 01 pm 602 0164 h 2b policy memorandum to interpret guam.pdf . please click here for guidance regarding reasonable case accommodations in light of the damage done by the california wildfires. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase public outreach and awareness, oflc will host two additional webinars on november 28, 2018, designed to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents on how to complete and submit an lca using the revised form eta 9035/9035e. details of the webinars are as follows: date: november 28, 2018 time: 10:00 a.m.   11:00 a.m. est (webinar 1) 3:00 p.m.   4:00 p.m. est (webinar 2) link to 10:00 a.m. est presentation: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php? mtid=e23189a272278e5dceaf5f2ec6a656b3e link to 3:00 p.m. est presentation: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php? mtid=e8c7f5f0a2bc1942b02a0cfc906e88396 teleconference: toll free phone number: 888 955 8963 toll number: 1 517 308 9289 participant passcode: 5549214 meeting password: welcome!68 on november 15, 2018, the united states department of agriculture (usda) issued the farm labor survey (fls) report in which it established the average annual wage rates, by region and the united states, for field and livestock workers. the department of labor (department) relies on the average annual combined hourly wage for field and livestock workers in order to establish the adverse effect wage rates (aewr) in the h 2a program. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of workers similarly employed in the united states will not be adversely affected. the department is reviewing the usda fls average annual wage rates for 2019 and will soon publish a notice in the federal register announcing new aewrs for each state. to obtain more information on the national agricultural statistic service (nass) surveys and reports, please call the nass agricultural statistics hotline at (800) 727 9540, 7:30 a.m. est to 4:00 p.m. est, or e mail: nass@nass.usda.gov . you can access a copy of the latest usda fls report . the department of labor (dol) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) in the federal register proposing to modernize the advertising requirements for the h 2a program. dol also published, jointly with the department of homeland security, a separate nprm proposing to modernize the advertising requirements for the h 2b program. more information about the nprms are available by clicking on h 2a program and h 2b program . the employment and training administration's office of foreign labor certification today implemented new enhancements to the icert system related to the submission of applications for temporary labor certification under the h 2a and h 2b programs. these enhancements are intended to improve customer service and increase the quality of applications submitted for processing. these enhancements include data validation checks designed to assist employers in preparing h 2a and h 2b applications according to the required form fields and instructions approved by the office of management and budget. specifically, employers preparing applications must ensure that each required field of the form eta 9142a, h 2a application for temporary employment certification, and eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification, is completed before submitting to the national processing center for processing. as a reminder, the icert system helps employers prepare applications by displaying mandatory fields on the forms eta 9142a and 9142b with an asterisk (*), and conditional mandatory fields with a section symbol (§) where the response is conditioned on one or more previous form entries. in accordance with the secretary's june 6, 2017, news release , which calls for form changes to better protect american workers, confront fraud, and increase transparency, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is announcing revisions to the labor condition application (lca) information collection. the revisions include the eta form 9035/9035e, labor condition application for nonimmigrant workers, for h 1b, h 1b1, and e 3 nonimmigrants; form wh 4, nonimmigrant worker information form ; and all applicable instructions and electronic versions. the eta form 9035/9035e is used in the department of labor's (dol) employment based temporary immigration programs to request permission to bring foreign workers to the united states as nonimmigrants to perform certain work in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability. the wh 4 form is used to request that dol's wage and hour division initiate an investigation related to alleged violations of the h 1b, h 1b1, or e 3 program requirements. implementation procedures the department is updating the electronic filing system for the eta form 9035/9035e, and anticipates full implementation of the form on november 19, 2018. the existing eta form 9035/9035e remains valid and the public can continue to file it until november 19, 2018. employers or their authorized representatives filing the eta form 9035/9035e on or after november 19, 2018, must use the revised form approved by the office of management and budget. oflc will host two webinars on november 14, 2018, designed to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents in completing and submitting an lca using the revised eta form 9035/9035e. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) ongoing efforts to increase public outreach and awareness, oflc will host two webinars on november 14, 2018, designed to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents in completing and submitting an lca using the revised eta form 9035/9035e. details of the webinars are as follows: date: november 14, 2018 time: 10:00 a.m.   11:00 a.m. est (webinar 1) 3:00 p.m.   4:00 p.m. est (webinar 2) link to 10:00 a.m. est presentation: https://dol.webex.com/dol/j.php?mtid=mc77b5aabb7e095b318ab08e8b3b7334f link to 3:00 p.m. est presentation: https://dol.webex.com/dol/j.php?mtid=m3962017f417afc545b90e3e7bbab91c4 teleconference: 800 779 7164 attendee access code: 4194887 meeting password: welcome!24 pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters. the list also contains the identity and location of persons or entities hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from october 1, 2017 through september 30, 2018. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department of labor, other agencies, and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2017 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . archived foreign labor recruiter lists may be found here . the h 2b webinar presentation, hosted on september 14, 2018, is posted under the h 2b additional resources link on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b visa program web page. you can access the h 2b temporary program and h 2b webinar september 14, 2018 at the following address https://foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/pdf/h 2b_stakeholder_webinar_september_2018.pdf please click here for guidance regarding reasonable case accommodations in light of the damage done by typhoon yutu. the department of labor published a 60 day notice in the federal register announcing its intent to revise application forms, instructions, and other information collected under the h 2a temporary agricultural visa program. the proposed revisions are designed to better align information collection requirements with the department's h 2a regulations, provide greater clarity to employers on regulatory requirements, standardize and streamline information collection for employers preparing h 2a applications and job orders, and promote greater efficiency and transparency in the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) review and issuance of labor certification decisions. in part, the department proposes revisions to the forms eta 9142a and eta 790 to eliminate redundancy by collecting the material terms and conditions of the job opportunity in a significantly revised eta 790 and eta 790a with addenda and incorporating standardized language for required employer assurances. any written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. copies of the 60 day notice, supporting statement, and the proposed forms are provided below: federal register notice the icert system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, october 18, 2018 from 8:00 pm et to 11:00 pm et. the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2018 are now available. access to the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts are available on the oflc performance data page . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 4 fy 2018 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 9/30/2018. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . please click here for guidance regarding reasonable case accommodations in light of the damage done by hurricane florence and hurricane michael. icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: friday, september 21 8:00 pm et through sunday, september 23, 2018 until 2:00 pm et. the perm system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, september 20, 2018 from 8:00 pm et until 11:00 pm et. please click here for guidance regarding reasonable case accommodations in light of the damage done by hurricane florence. the h 2a webinar presentation, hosted on august 23, 2018, is posted under the h 2a additional resources link on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2a visa program web page. you can access the h 2a temporary agricultural program and h 2a webinar august 2018 at the following address https://foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/pdf/h 2a_webinar_august_2018.pdf . the department of labor published a 60 day notice in the federal register announcing its intent to revise application forms, instructions, and other information collected under the h 2b temporary nonagricultural visa program. the proposed revisions are designed to better align information collection requirements with the 2015 h 2b interim final rule, provide greater clarity to employers on regulatory requirements, standardize and streamline information collection for employers preparing h 2b applications, and promote greater efficiency and transparency in oflc's review and issuance of labor certification decisions. any written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. copies of the 60 day notice, supporting statement, and the proposed forms are provided below: federal register notice 60 day supporting statement proposed form eta 9142b general instructions proposed form eta 9142b proposed form eta 9142b appendix a proposed form eta 9142b appendix b proposed form eta 9142b appendix c proposed form eta 9142b appendix d proposed form eta 9142b e certification proposed form eta 9142b seafood attestation proposed form eta 9165 instructions proposed form eta 9165 proposed form eta 9155 instructions proposed form eta 9155 as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc will host a webinar on friday, september 14, 2018, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of best practices associated with filing an application with the h 2b labor certification program. our objective for this webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will provide stakeholders with helpful practice tips when submitting their h 2b applications for temporary labor certification to the chicago national processing center. date: friday, september 14, 2018 time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm est format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation telephone number: 888 324 8530 telephone passcode: 1210601 the perm business existence online registration process presentation, hosted on august 22, 2018, is posted under the perm webinars link on the office of foreign labor certification's permanent labor certification program web page. you can access the perm presentation directly. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc will host a webinar on thursday, august 23, 2018, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on recent program workload trends, common deficiencies and best practices associated with the h 2a labor certification program. our objective for this webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will provide stakeholders with helpful practice tips when submitting their h 2a applications for temporary labor certification to the chicago national processing center. date: thursday, august 23, 2018 time: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm est format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation telephone number: 888 989 9783 telephone passcode: 2923456 pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters. the list also contains the identity and location of persons or entities hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from october 1, 2017 through june 30, 2018. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department of labor, other agencies, and the public. the list will be updated quarterly. access the foreign labor recruiter list . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2017 h 2b ifr faqs round 16. archived foreign labor recruiter lists may be found here . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) continuous efforts to enhance both internal and external customer service and increase public engagement, the oflc will host an online registration process webinar on wednesday, august 22, 2018. this webinar is specifically designed to educate our external customers (e.g. stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public) on identified best practices associated with the permanent labor certification program. additionally, our objective for this webinar is to provide general technical assistance that will provide stakeholders with helpful tips when submitting an online registration via the perm online system. please be advised that this webinar will not address case specific inquiries. date: wednesday, august 22, 2018 time: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm eastern standard time format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation telephone number: 1 888 324 9242 telephone passcode: 9766277 the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 3 of fy 2018 are now available. access to the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts are available on the oflc performance data page . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 3 fy 2018 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 6/30/2018. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . on july 1, 2018, oflc uploaded the newest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment survey as generated by the bureau of labor statistics for the year from july 2018   june 2019. the effective date is july 1, 2018. prevailing wage determinations issued from the national prevailing wage center will reflect the new data. the perm appeals webinar presentation, hosted on june 13, 2018, is posted under the perm webinars link on the office of foreign labor certification's permanent labor certification program web page. you can access the perm webinar directly. the department of labor's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this announcement to inform employers and other interested stakeholders how h 2b applications for temporary employment certification , form eta 9142b, filed by employers on or after july 3, 2018, will be assigned to staff for review in accordance with 20 c.f.r. 655.30. background oflc continues to experience significant increases in the number of h 2b applications requesting temporary labor certification, and those submissions are generally received on the earliest day employers, seeking to obtain visas for their workers under the semi annual allotments, are permitted by regulation to file (i.e., 75 to 90 days before the start date of work). for example, in the past several second half semi annual filing cycles, the overwhelming majority of h 2b applications were received on january 1, which is the earliest date on which an h 2b application may be filed for a period of need beginning on april 1. because of the intense competition for h 2b visas in recent years, the semi annual visa allocation, and the regulatory timeframes for filing a request for temporary labor certification, stakeholders have also raised questions regarding the earliest time of day on which an application can be submitted to oflc. in order to process the significant surge of applications that oflc expects to receive in a short period of time during the semi annual visa allotment periods in a more equitable manner and to clarify the time at which an application is received, oflc will be implementing the following procedures. process announcement for h 2b applications filed on or after july 3, 2018, oflc will sequentially assign h 2b applications to analysts based on the calendar date and time on which the applications are received (i.e., receipt date and time). receipt time will be measured to the millisecond, e.g., 12:00:00.000 a.m. oflc's technology servers are located in the eastern time zone; therefore, the time an application is received and assigned to analysts is based on eastern time (et). applications submitted from other time zones may be filed as early as 12:00:00.000 a.m. et, as discussed below. once assigned, the analysts will initiate review of each h 2b application in the order of receipt date and time, and in accordance with 20 c.f.r. 655.30. based on the analyst's review, the certifying officer (co) will authorize issuance of either a notice of acceptance (noa) under 20 c.f.r. 655.33 or a notice of deficiency (nod) under 20 c.f.r. 655.31. following issuance of noas and/or nods, the applications will be processed as each successive stage in the process is completed. employers receiving noas may proceed to meet the additional regulatory requirements, including recruitment of u.s. workers and submission of recruitment reports. employers receiving nods must correct any deficiencies and then receive a noa before proceeding to meet the additional regulatory requirements. as a result, for each application, analysts' review of nod responses and recruitment reports, and issuance of final decisions (certifications and denials) will follow in the order in which each sequential step required by the regulations is concluded, irrespective of the receipt time of the application. as required, oflc will grant temporary labor certification only after the employer's h 2b application has met all the requirements for approving labor certification under 20 cfr 655.50 and the subpart. in accordance with regulatory requirements, oflc will send all certified h 2b applications to the applicant by means normally assuring next day delivery. oflc will issue rejections, withdrawals, and denials of labor certification applications as each determination is made by the co. instructive examples related to time zones applicants wishing to file their h 2b applications at the earliest possible time may begin filing at 12:00:00.000 a.m. et on the appropriate calendar day. as noted above, application receipt time is based upon et. receipt time is not based on the time zone covering the geographic location in which the applicant is filing, nor is it based on the time zone covering the geographic location in which the job is located. for example, applicants seeking to file an h 2b application from a location outside the eastern time zone at the earliest possible filing time for the first half semi annual filing cycle of fy 2019 should file at 12:00:00.000 a.m. et on july 3, 2018; not 12:00:00.000 a.m. in any other time zone in which that person is located on july 3, 2018. as noted above, receipt time will be measured to the millisecond. the following examples help illustrate how the receipt date and time will be recorded on h 2b applications filed with oflc: the labor condition application for nonimmigrant workers, form eta 9035/9035e has been extended through june 30, 2018. oflc's request for a three year extension is currently under review with the office of management and budget (omb). oflc will continue to extend the form in one month increments until approved by omb. for complete details see the federal register notice for omb control number 1205 0310. the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published eta form 9142 b caa 2 and the accompanying instructions in support of the temporary rule jointly issued by the department of homeland security and the department of labor, titled "exercise of time limited authority to increase the fiscal year 2018 numerical limitation for the h 2b temporary nonagricultural worker program." the temporary rule was published in the federal register on may 31, 2018, with an immediate effective date. the secretary of homeland security has decided, after consultation with dol, to increase the h 2b cap for fy 2018 by up to 15,000 additional visas for american businesses that are likely to suffer irreparable harm (that is, permanent and severe financial loss) without the ability to employ all of the h 2b workers requested on their respective petitions before the end of fy 2018. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap before the end of fiscal year 2018. the attestation is also available on the forms and instructions section of the oflc website found at: https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/form.cfm the perm system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, may 31, 2018 from 8:00 pm et until 11:00 pm et. the office of management and budget granted the department approval of a three year extension for the form eta 9089 (1205 0451). the form eta 9089 is available on the foreign labor certification forms page. the departments perm online filing system will be updated in the coming weeks. once available, the department will notify the public. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) continuous efforts to enhance both internal and external customer service and increase public engagement, the oflc will host an appeals webinar on wednesday, june 13, 2018. this webinar is specifically designed to educate our external customers (e.g. stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public) on identified best practices associated with the permanent labor certification program. additionally, our objective for this webinar is to provide general technical assistance that will provide stakeholders with helpful tips when submitting a perm appeals response to the atlanta national processing center. please be advised that this webinar will not address case specific inquiries. date: wednesday, june 13, 2018 time: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm eastern standard time format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation telephone number: 800 619 9983 telephone passcode: 1185981 the h 2b prevailing wage webinar presentation on concepts for h 2b surveyors and general filing tips, hosted on april 3, 2018, is posted under the helpful filing tips on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b web page, under prevailing wage information. you can access this presentation directly at https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/2015_h 2b_ifr.cfm . due to planned maintenance, service interruptions and degraded performance may be possible for both the icert and perm systems from 8:00 pm edt on friday, april 20, 2018 until 11:00 pm edt on sunday, april 22, 2018. pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters. the list also contains the identity and location of persons or entities hired by, or working for, the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from october 1, 2017 through march 31, 2018. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department of labor, other agencies, and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2017 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . archived foreign labor recruiter lists may be found here . the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 2 of fy 2018 are now available. access to the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts are available on the oflc performance data page . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 2 fy 2018 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 3/31/2018.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the employment and training administration (eta) of the department of labor has issued a notice to announce the annual update to the allowable charges that employers seeking h 2a workers in occupations other than range herding may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence. to read the notice, please click here . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc's npwc will host a webinar on tuesday, april 3, 2018 designed to educate surveyor's, stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on h 2b surveyor concepts and general filing tips. the first hour will focus on information to surveyors and the second hour will have more general information for pwd requestors and employers. the perm webinar presentation, hosted on march 7, 2018, is posted under the perm webinars link on the office of foreign labor certification's permanent labor certification program web page. you can access the perm webinar directly. as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) continuous efforts to enhance both internal and external customer service and increase public engagement, the oflc will host a supervised recruitment webinar on wednesday, march 7, 2018. this webinar is specifically designed to educate our external customers (e.g. stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public) on identified best practices associated with the permanent labor certification program. additionally, our objective for this webinar is to provide general technical assistance that will provide stakeholders with helpful tips when submitting a perm supervised recruitment response to the atlanta national processing center. please be advised that this webinar will not address case specific inquiries. date: wednesday, march 7, 2018 time: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm eastern standard time format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation telephone number: 888 282 0371 telephone passcode: 6854311 the perm system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, march 1, 2018 from 8:00 pm et until 11:00 pm et. pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters and the identity and location of persons or entities hired by or working for the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification . the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from october 1, 2017 through december 31, 2018. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department and other agencies and the public. h 2b foreign labor recruiter list will be updated quarterly. faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2017 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed. archived foreign labor recruiter lists may also be found. the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 1 of fy 2018 are now available. access to the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts are available on the oflc performance data page . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 1 fy 2018 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 12/31/2017.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the department of labor's (dol) office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about a process change to better assure fairness regarding the issuance of h 2b temporary labor certifications due to the unprecedented volume of applications received on january 1, 2018. h 2b visas: statutory background and oflc process the immigration and nationality act (ina) sets the annual number of aliens who may be issued h 2b visas or otherwise provided h 2b nonimmigrant status by the department of homeland security (dhs) to perform temporary non agricultural work at 66,000. up to 33,000 h 2b visas may be issued in the first half of a fiscal year (october 1 to march 31), and the remaining semi annual allocation of 33,000 visas will be available for employers seeking to hire h 2b workers during the second half of the fiscal year (april 1 to september 30). this announcement concerns the processing of the h 2b temporary labor certification applications for the april 1   september 30, 2018 period of need. oflc process for obtaining an h 2b certification is a two step process for employers. employers must first file a complete and accurate application for temporary employment certification ( eta form 9142b ). following review and acceptance from oflc, the employer must then conduct recruitment of u.s. workers and file a recruitment report. the department reviews those reports and issues final labor certification decisions to employers who comply with all regulatory requirements as they are returned to oflc by employers. employers granted temporary labor certification are then eligible to file a petition with the united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) at the dhs. process change for granting temporary labor certification because of the intense competition for h 2b visas in recent years, the semi annual visa allocation, and the regulatory requirement that employers apply with oflc for a temporary labor certification 75 to 90 days before the start date of work, employers who wish to obtain visas for their workers under the semi annual allotment for periods of need beginning from april 1   september 30, 2018, must promptly apply for a temporary labor certification and then file a petition with uscis before the cap is reached. as a result, oflc typically experiences a significant "spike" in labor certification applications at the beginning of january for temporary or seasonal jobs during the u.s.'s early spring and summer weather months. thus, on january 1, 2017 (fy 2017), oflc received 1,538 applications covering approximately 26,673 worker positions for a work start date of april 1, 2017; approximately 80% of the entire semi annual visa allocation of 33,000. by contrast, on january 1, 2018, oflc received approximately 4,498 applications covering 81,008 worker positions requesting an april 1, 2018, start date of work. this unprecedented level of employer requests for h 2b workers on january 1, 2018 is approximately three times greater than the number of applications received on january 1, 2017, and more than two and one half times greater than the 33,000 semi annual visa allotment for fy 2018 permitted under the ina. in previous years, oflc processed applications as expeditiously as possible in a manner irrespective of the time of day the application was filed, only focusing on processing applications by the day they were filed. although oflc is working as expeditiously as possible to issue first actions, review responses to notices of deficiency, and issue notices of acceptance, the overwhelming workload this year has strained oflc's processing system and resulted in delays for the majority of all applications filed on january 1. oflc expects the first 2,400 applications filed on january 1 (which represent approximately 40,000 worker positions) will be processed for first actions by next week, with the remainder of all filed applications processed for first actions in the weeks that follow. employers receiving notices of acceptance can proceed to meet the additional regulatory requirements, including recruitment of u.s. workers and submission of recruitment reports. employers receiving notices of deficiency that are corrected, and who then receive a notice of acceptance, can also proceed to meet the additional regulatory requirements. in order to promote fairness for employers in accessing the h 2b program and due to the unprecedented volume of applications on january 1, oflc is making a change to its process regarding the issuance of final labor certification decisions. this process change will better reflect the sequential order in which employers filed applications. thus, oflc will not begin releasing certified h 2b applications (form eta 9142b application for temporary employment certification) until february 20, 2018. on that day, oflc will release certified h 2b applications that have met all regulatory requirements as of that day in sequential order based on the original calendar day and time the application was filed (i.e., receipt time) . thereafter, oflc will continue to release certified h 2b applications in a sequential manner until all applications are released. oflc will continue to issue rejections, withdrawals, and denials of labor certification applications in accordance with standard procedures. this process change will allow employers who filed promptly on january 1, 2018, sufficient time to meet regulatory requirements, including the recruitment and hiring of qualified and available u.s. workers, thus preserving the sequential order of filing that took place on january 1, 2018, to the extent possible. as required, oflc will grant temporary labor certification only after the employer's h 2b application has met all the requirements for approving labor certification under 20 cfr 655.50 and the subpart. in accordance with regulatory requirements, oflc will send all certified h 2b applications to the employer, or the employer's authorized attorney or agent, by means normally assuring next day delivery. the department of labor's (dol) office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to alert employers and other interested stakeholders about the high volume of applications received requesting temporary labor certification under the h 2b visa program. on january 1, 2018, the earliest date on which an employer seeking an employment start date of april 1 may file an h 2b application requesting temporary labor certification, oflc received approximately 4,500 applications covering more than 81,600 worker positions . except where a statutory exemption applies, the department of homeland security (dhs) may only issue up to 33,000 h 2b visas for employers seeking to hire h 2b workers during the second half of fy 2018 (april 1 to september 30). the oflc takes each request for temporary labor certification seriously and administers the labor certification program in a manner that protects the wages and working conditions of both h 2b and u.s. workers who support the seasonal workforce needs of u.s. small businesses, consumers, and communities. we are working as expeditiously as possible to issue first case actions, review responses to notices of deficiency (nods), and issue notices of acceptance where possible. first case actions are taken on a first filed basis and responses to nods are evaluated in the order in which they are received. background on statutory limit of h 2b visas the immigration and nationality act (ina) set at 66,000 the annual number of aliens who may be issued h 2b visas or otherwise provided h 2b nonimmigrant status by the dhs to perform temporary non agricultural work. up to 33,000 h 2b visas may be issued in the first half of a fiscal year (october 1 to march 31), and the remaining annual allocation will be available for employers seeking to hire h 2b workers during the second half of the fiscal year (april 1 to september 30). if insufficient petitions are approved to use all h 2b numbers in a given fiscal year, the unused numbers cannot be carried over for petition approvals in the next fiscal year. on december 21, 2017, the dhs united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis) announced that the first half of the annual number of h 2b visas for fiscal year (fy) 2018 was reached and, except where a statutory exemption applies, uscis will reject new h 2b petitions requesting an employment start date on or before march 31, 2018. in accordance with the ina, uscis will accept new h 2b petitions for the remaining 33,000 visas available for fy 2018 where the employer has received a temporary labor certification from the dol and requests an employment start date on or after april 1, 2018. on december 22, 2017, the employment and training administration (eta) of the department of labor (department) published in the federal register a notice announcing the new adverse effect wage rate (aewr) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (h 2a workers) who perform herding or production of livestock on the range. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. the federal register notice presented the new aewr as both $1,584.22/month and $1,548.22/month. the correct 2018 aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range is $1,584.22/month. on january 2, 2018, the department published a correction notice in the federal register announcing the correct 2018 aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range of $1,584.22/month. visit https://www.federalregister.gov to read more. on december 22, 2017, the employment and training administration (eta) of the department of labor (department) published in the federal register a notice announcing the new adverse effect wage rate (aewr) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (h 2a workers) who perform herding or production of livestock on the range. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. the federal register notice presented the new aewr as both $1,584.22/month and $1,548.22/month. the correct 2018 aewr for herding or production of livestock on the range is $1,584.22/month, effective january 1, 2018. eta will publish a correction notice in the federal register . on december 22, 2017, the employment and training administration (eta) of the department of labor (department) is issuing this notice to announce the new adverse effect wage rate (aewr) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (h 2a workers) to perform herding or production of livestock on the range. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . the perm webinar presentation, hosted on december 13, 2017, is posted under the perm webinars link on the office of foreign labor certification's permanent labor certification program web page . the department has published a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state, based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular agricultural job and area, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc, the axis management group, and the office of the chief information officer (ocio) will host a webinar on wednesday, december 13, 2017, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on best practices associated with the permanent labor certification program. our objective for this webinar is to provide technical assistance to stakeholders with helpful practice tips on how to upload documentation into the permanent online system. the benefits of uploading documentation in the permanent online system include: immediate confirmation of successfully uploaded documentation; reducing cost and burden to stakeholders from submitting documentation via u.s. mail, e mail and/or facsimile; streamlining process of submitting documentation; and expediting review of perm applications. on november 16, 2017, the united states department of agriculture (usda) issued the farm labor survey (fls) report in which it established the average annual wage rates, by region and the united states, for field and livestock workers. the department of labor (department) relies on the average annual combined hourly wage for field and livestock workers in order to establish the adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) in the h 2a program. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of workers similarly employed in the united states will not be adversely affected. the department is reviewing the usda fls average annual wage rates for 2017 and will soon publish a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state. to obtain more information on nass surveys and reports, please call the nass agricultural statistics hotline at (800) 727 9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. et, or e mail: nass@nass.usda.gov . you can access a copy of the latest usda fls report . the icert system will be unavailable during the following time period for system maintenance: thursday, november 16, 2017 from 8:00 pm et until 10:00 pm et the h 2a webinar presentation, hosted on october 31, 2017, is posted under the h 2a additional resources link on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2a visa program web page. you can access the h 2a temporary agricultural program and the presentation directly. the h 2b webinar presentation, hosted on october 25, 2017, is posted under the h 2b additional resources link on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b visa program web page. you can access the h 2b temporary non agricultural program and the presentation directly. the state workforce agency (swa) plays an important role supporting the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) in processing employer applications requesting temporary labor certification under the h 2a agricultural and h 2b non agricultural temporary visa programs. in the h 2a program, the swa reviews the content of employer job orders prior to employer submission of the h 2a applications to the chicago national processing center (cnpc), places approved job orders for intrastate and interstate recruitment of u.s. workers, and conducts safety inspections of employer provided housing for temporary agricultural workers. in the h 2b program, the swa reviews the employer's job order concurrently with the certifying officer (co) at the cnpc, advises the co of any job order deficiencies within six business days of receipt, promptly makes any modifications to the job order required by the co, and places approved job orders for intrastate and interstate recruitment of u.s. workers. during the course of processing an employer's application for h 2a or h 2b workers, the swa currently provides the co with required information and documentation using u.s. mail, electronic mail or facsimile. the icert system was not initially designed to permit swa staff to upload responsive documents (e.g., housing certification) or input based on a review of the employer's job order directly to the employer's pending h 2a or h 2b application. as a result, the current process requires oflc staff to invest time in receiving, tracking, and, where necessary, scanning and uploading each responsive document into the pending application assigned to the oflc analyst for review. during certain seasons of the year when the h 2a and h 2b workloads are high, there can be delays associated with the time it takes for the swa's information to get connected with the employer's pending application. to help mitigate delays associated with connecting swa documentation to the employer's pending h 2a or h 2b application and provide employers with better customer services, oflc has released an enhancement to the icert system that will permit authorized swa staff to electronically upload supporting documentation or other information directly to the employer's pending application for immediate review by the assigned cnpc analyst. oflc expects that this new feature will ultimately eliminate the need for the swas to submit responsive documents via u.s. mail, e mail or facsimile, and result in a more expedient review of the employer's pending h 2a or h 2b application. initially, oflc will be implementing this new enhancement in 33 states with the goal of full implementation nationwide no later than september 30, 2018: pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters and the identity and location of persons or entities hired by or working for the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b temporary non agricultural workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification . the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from july 28, 2016 through september 30, 2017. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department and other agencies and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2017 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2017 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 4 fy 2017 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 9/30/2017. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc will host a webinar on tuesday, october 31, 2017, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on recent program workload trends, common deficiencies and best practices associated with the h 2a labor certification program. our objective for this webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will provide stakeholders with helpful practice tips when submitting their h 2a applications for temporary labor certification to the chicago national processing center. go to or click on: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e20ea933e3267af5aa6b4221552ab752d as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc will host a webinar on wednesday, october 25, 2017, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on recent program workload trends, common deficiencies and best practices associated with the h 2b labor certification program. our objective for this webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will provide stakeholders with helpful practice tips when submitting their h 2b applications for temporary labor certification to the chicago national processing center. go to or click on: https://dolevents.webex.com/dolevents/onstage/g.php?mtid=e11f2f059bc4a290558acbbbb0b70d5df the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published round 13 of frequently asked questions (faqs) related to h 2a applications for temporary employment certification under the 2010 rule. this round, which covers questions related to h 2a newspaper advertisements, is posted on the oflc website on the h 2a page, the faqs page, and the faqs rounds page. to directly access the round 13 faqs. the perm and icert systems will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the perm system will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the fy 2016 annual report presents information on the prevailing wage determination process, permanent labor certification, and temporary nonimmigrant labor certification for fy 2016. the report also contains state employment based labor certification profiles and top country employment based immigration profiles. click here to view the 2016 annual report. a 508 compliant version will be posted as soon as it is available. the perm webinar presentation, hosted on august 16, 2017, is posted under the perm webinars link on the office of foreign labor certification's permanent labor certification program web page. to access this page, please click here. the icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: in accordance with the secretary's june 6, 2017 news release , which called for proposed form changes to better protect american workers, confront fraud, and increase transparency, the department of labor published a 60 day notice in the federal register announcing its intent to revise its information collection for the h 1b, h 1b1 and e 3 programs. the revision includes the labor condition application for nonimmigrant workers (lca) form eta 9035/ 9035e (electronic), form eta 9035cp accompanying instructions, a new appendix for the form eta 9035/ 9035e, and the wage and hour division's wh 4 nonimmigrant worker information form collection. any written comments must be submitted in accordance with the federal register notice instructions. copies of the notice and the proposed forms are below: federal register 60 day notice proposed form eta 9035 proposed form eta 9035cp instructions proposed form eta 9035 appendix a proposed form wh 4 proposed form wh 4 instructions supporting statement supporting statement appendix table of changes form eta 9035 table of changes form eta 9035cp table of changes wh 4 the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published eta form 9142 b caa and the accompanying instructions in support of the temporary rule jointly issued by the department of homeland security and the department of labor, titled "exercise of time limited authority to increase the fiscal year 2017 numerical limitation for the h 2b temporary nonagricultural worker program." the temporary rule was published in the federal register on july 19, 2017, with an immediate effective date. this attestation must be submitted to the united states citizenship and immigration services along with form i 129, in support of an h 2b application subject to the h 2b cap for the second half of fiscal year 2017. the attestation is also available on the forms and instructions section of the oflc website found at: https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/form.cfm the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 3 of fy 2017 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 3 fy 2017 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 6/30/2017. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters and the identity and location of persons or entities hired by or working for the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification . the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from july 28, 2016 through june 30, 2017. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department and other agencies and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2015 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . today the secretary of labor and the secretary of homeland security signed a joint regulation allowing some seasonal american businesses who have tried and failed to find american workers to hire a limited number of foreign workers on a temporary basis. this regulation is needed to keep u.s. businesses open and their american workers employed; it is limited to those businesses who are in the most desperate straits. the text of the regulation may be found at the federal register . inquiries should be directed to mediainquiry@h2.dhs.gov . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, oflc will host a webinar on wednesday, august 16, 2017, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on best practices associated with the permanent labor certification program. our objective for this webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will provide stakeholders with helpful practice tips when submitting their perm audit response to the atlanta national processing center. the icert system will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has published a twelfth round of frequently asked questions (faqs) related to the filing and processing of h 2a applications for temporary employment certification covering issues related to the use of rental housing or public accommodations. these faqs are intended to help h 2a employers better understand the filing and documentation requirements that are necessary for an employer to demonstrate that the housing being offered to accommodate h 2a foreign workers complies with applicable housing standards for rental housing and public accommodations. the round 12 faqs are posted on the oflc website on the h 2a program page at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/programs/h 2a.cfm and the faqs page at https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/faqsanswers.cfm . to directly access the round 12 faqs, please click here . the icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is currently working to streamline the perm sponsorship verification process. effective may 13, 2017, oflc updated the automated email request for sponsorship verification process, allowing the employer to respond within 30 days by directly accessing the sponsorship questionnaire online. employers who do not respond within seven (7) calendar days will be sent a follow up email reminding them that it has 23 days left to respond to the sponsorship request. if applicable, the employer's attorney/agent will also receive a courtesy email regarding the employer's timeframe to respond to the sponsorship request. failure to respond to the request within the established timeframe will result in a denial for failure to comply with the request for sponsorship verification. these emails will inform both the employer and the employer's attorney/agent of the consequences of failing to comply with the request for sponsorship verification. if the employer does not have an email address listed on its eta form 9089, application for permanent employment certification, oflc will verify sponsorship via a telephone call or a mailed request for sponsorship verification. the icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the perm webinar presentation, hosted on may 10, 2017, is posted under the perm webinars link on the office of foreign labor certification's permanent labor certification program web page. to access this page, please click here . to access the presentation directly, please click here. the perm system will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, the oflc will host webinar on thursday, may 18, 2017 designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on recent program workload trends, common deficiencies and best practices associated with employer request for h 2b prevailing wage determinations (pwds). our objective for the webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will improve the quality of applications submitted to the oflc by providing: date: thursday, may 18, 2017 time: 2:00pm to 4:00pm eastern standard time format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation password: welcome!25 the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 2 of fy 2017 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 2 fy 2017 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 3/31/2017. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the department of labor has published a notice in the federal register to announce the allowable charges for 2017 that employers seeking h 2a workers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day, and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim in 2017 under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence for the h 2a and h 2b programs. to read the notice, please click here . pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is posting an updated list of the names of foreign labor recruiters and the identity and location of persons or entities hired by or working for the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. the h 2b foreign labor recruiter list includes cumulative cases filed from july 28, 2016 through march 31, 2017. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department and other agencies and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2015 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, the oflc will host a webinar on wednesday, may 10, 2017, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on recent program workload trends, common deficiencies and best practices associated with the permanent labor certification program. our objective for the webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will improve the quality of applications submitted to the oflc by: date: wednesday, may 10, 2017 time: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm eastern standard time format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation event number: 888 455 3756 passcode: 6624633 eta has implemented a new enhancement to the perm case management system (cms) related to the submission of applications for permanent labor certification intended to reduce burdens on employers and streamline the processing of applications. beginning on and after april 15, 2017, the perm cms will permit the submission of electronic documentation while the application is pending review and up to 30 calendar days after the notice of proposed final agency action is issued on an application. the department expects that this new feature will eliminate the need for the employer or, if applicable, its authorized agent or attorney to submit responsive documents via u.s. mail, e mail or facsimile, and result in a more expedient review of applications by connecting the responsive documents directly to the oflc analysts assigned to the application. to review the features of this new cms enhancement, please download a copy of the perm quick guide at https://www.plc.doleta.gov/onlinehelp.pdf . in light of stakeholder input, which the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is considering, oflc has temporarily removed from its website perm faq round 14 regarding actual minimum requirements, originally published on march 6, 2017. oflc will clarify and republish perm faq round 14 to provide additional information on its applicability to perm applications and associated prevailing wage requests and determinations. the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is providing additional processing information to employers who participate in the h 2b temporary nonimmigrant visa programs. between january 1   7, 2017, oflc received nearly 3,000 h 2b applications covering approximately 53,200 worker positions with an expected start date of work on or after april 1, 2017; an approximate 93% increase when compared to the number of h 2b applications received during the same calendar week in 2016. between january 8   31, 2017, oflc received another 1,500 h 2b applications requesting temporary labor certification for approximately 28,900 workers. during 2016 and within its limited resources, oflc planned and executed a number of management actions, as well as regular stakeholder education and outreach activities, designed to minimize expected processing delays without being able to accurately predict the total volume of applications that would be filed for processing. beginning the first work week of january 2017, oflc published regular updates on h 2b case processing times to the stakeholder community, and ensured consistent availability of its icert electronic system for customers to file h 2b applications and staff to process case actions. in order to issue prompt final decisions, oflc also deployed a dedicated team of staff to review employer recruitment reports on pending h 2b applications that have completed the labor market test requirements under the regulation. we are continuing to focus our available resources on reducing the number of pending h 2b applications as expeditiously as possible while simultaneously issuing quality decisions. to help employers better understand employer demand for workers under the h 2b visa program, oflc has updated its h 2b case processing time information to include the total number of workers requested and certified based on the week in which the employer filed its h 2b application. oflc will continue to provide regular updates to this information during each work week, and employers can access current processing time information through the icert system at https://icert.doleta.gov and clicking on the "processing times" tab from the main home page. the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 1 of fy 2017 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 1 fy 2017 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b specialty occupations labor condition program , h 2a temporary agricultural labor certification program and h 2b temporary non agricultural labor certification program . reports are derived from program data as of 12/31/2016.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the office of foreign labor certification has posted an updated h 2b foreign labor recruiter list with cumulative cases from july 28, 2016 through december 31, 2016. quarterly updates will normally be posted by the end of the month immediately following the close of the quarter. click here for the updated list. on december 23, 2016, the employment and training administration (eta) of the department of labor (department) is issuing this notice to announce the new adverse effect wage rate (aewr) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (h 2a workers) to perform herding or production of livestock on the range. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . the department has published a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state, based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular agricultural job and area, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . the office of federal register has scheduled the labor certification process for the temporary employment of aliens in agriculture in the united states: 2017 adverse effect wage rates and 2017 adverse effect wage rate for range occupations for publication in the federal register on december 23, 2016. these documents will be placed on public inspection on 12 22 2016 08:45:00. q: is the department planning to issue a regulation on perm? a: on december 16, 2016, the perm notice of proposed rulemaking and schedule a request for information were withdrawn from omb/oira review. the perm system will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: on november 17, 2016, the united states department of agriculture (usda) issued the farm labor survey (fls) report in which it established the average annual wage rates, by region and the united states, for field and livestock workers. the department of labor (department) relies on the average annual combined hourly wage for field and livestock workers in order to establish the adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) in the h 2a program. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of workers similarly employed in the united states will not be adversely affected. the department is reviewing the usda fls average annual wage rates for 2016 and will soon publish a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state at which time the rates will become immediately effective. to obtain more information on nass surveys and reports, please call the nass agricultural statistics hotline at (800) 727 9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. et, or e mail: nass@nass.usda.gov . to obtain a copy of the latest usda fls report, please click here . the icert system will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the 2015 annual report presents information on the prevailing wage determination process, permanent labor certification, and temporary nonimmigrant labor certification for fy 2015. the report also contains state employment based labor certification profiles and top country employment based immigration profiles. click here to view the 2015 annual report. a 508 compliant version will be posted as soon as it is available. the atlanta national processing center (anpc) will begin issuing perm notification letters via e mail beginning december 1, 2016. electronic notification e mails will ensure perm stakeholders receive eta form 9089 application determination notifications in a timely, cost effective manner without 'in the mail' delivery delays. to ensure this electronic notification delivery convenience works for all perm stakeholders, please add sr.processing@dol.gov and plc.atlanta@dol.gov to your address book or safe list within your e mail system(s) to avoid being filtered as spam. in addition, if e mail addresses for the authorized representative or employer have changed, please notify either sr.processing@dol.gov (supervised recruitment cases) or plc.atlanta@dol.gov (all other correspondence). please provide the case number along with the updated contact information. stakeholders will receive the following letters/notifications via e mail: note: certified eta form 9089 perm application letters will not be sent electronically due to the certification's security paper requirements currently in place with the u.s. citizenship and immigration services. electronic receipt of perm audit responses, requests for information, and responses to notices of decisions for appeals: the anpc will receive eta form 9089 audit responses and responses to requests for information, additional audit information requests, and notices of decisions for appeals sent via e mail on december 1, 2016. to ensure your submission is received with no issues, i.e., non compliance with delivery size limitations, please ensure each e mailed response is no larger than 20mb. if your e mail response is larger than 20mb, please separate the response into two or more documents of less than 20mb in size. for example, if submitting more than one document in response to an audit notification due to size restrictions, please ensure you indicate in the subject line of the e mail that there are multiple submissions. for example, <case number>_audit response_1 of 3. in addition, when submitting an electronic response, please keep in mind the following tips: the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2016 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the fy 2016 quarter 4 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 9/30/2016.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page. the perm system will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the icert and perm system will be unavailable during the following time periods for system maintenance: the department of labor has published a frequently asked question (faq) round 13 related to preparing the required recruitment report for employers seeking labor certification under the perm program along with two "best practice" sample recruitment reports. the round 13 faq is posted on the perm program page on the office of foreign labor certification website at https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/faqs_pdf.cfm . to directly access the round 13 faq, please click here. the icert and perm systems will be unavailable from 10:00 pm edt on friday, october 7, 2016 until 6:00 am edt on tuesday, october 11, 2016 for system maintenance. the department of labor has published a seventeenth round of frequently asked questions (faqs) related to the filing and processing of h 2b applications for temporary employment certification covering issues related to the area of intended employment and what constitutes a worksite under the h 2b program. the round 17 faqs are posted on the h 2b interim final rule implementation page on the office of foreign labor certification website at https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/2015_h 2b_ifr.cfm . to directly access the round 17 faqs, please click here . the department of labor has published a third round of frequently asked questions (faqs) related to the filing and processing of h 2a applications for temporary employment certification covering the herding or production of livestock on the range. the round 3 faqs are posted on the h 2a herder final rule implementation page on the office of foreign labor certification website at https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/h 2a_herders.cfm . to directly access the round 3 faqs, please click here . on tuesday, september 13, 2016, the office of foreign labor certification hosted a 4 hour webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on recent program workload trends, common deficiencies and best practices associated with employer requests for h 2b prevailing wage determinations and applications for temporary labor certification under the h 2a and h 2b visa programs. our objective for the webinar was to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will improve the quality of applications submitted to the oflc by: stakeholders and members of the general public can obtain a copy of the presentation by clicking here . the department of labor has published frequently asked questions (faqs) related to processing h 2b prevailing wage determinations under the 2015 h 2b wage final rule. the faqs are posted in the prevailing wages section on the faqs page. to directly access the faqs page, please click here. eta is announcing a process change related to the submission of applications for temporary labor certification under the h 2b visa program intended to reduce burdens on employers and streamline the adjudication of temporary need. effective immediately, an employer submitting an h 2b application may satisfy the regulatory requirements for demonstrating temporary need by disclosing such information on the form eta 9142b, application for temporary employment certification, without also submitting detailed supporting documentation with its initial application, particularly where the employer's temporary need has been demonstrated in earlier applications certified or the work is clearly tied to a temporary, seasonal cycle. this process change in the h 2b program better aligns the review of temporary need with the standard applied to agricultural employers in the h 2a program, where the submission of detailed supporting documentation to support recurring seasonal workforce needs is not necessary. for a more detailed explanation of this important process change in the h 2b program, please click here . as part of the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts to increase public engagement, the oflc will host a webinar on tuesday, september 13, 2016, designed to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on recent program workload trends, common deficiencies and best practices associated with employer requests for h 2b prevailing wage determinations and applications for temporary labor certification under the h 2a and h 2b visa programs. our objective for the webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable, their authorized attorneys or agents that will improve the quality of applications submitted to the oflc by: date: tuesday, september 13, 2016 time: 12:00pm to 4:00pm eastern standard time format: webinar & conference call capability will be provided to maximize participation event number: 744 257 619 password: welcome!25 pursuant to 20 cfr § 655.9(c), the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is publishing a list of the names of foreign labor recruiters and the identity and location of persons or entities hired by or working for the recruiter that employers have indicated they engaged, or planned to engage, in the recruitment of prospective h 2b workers to perform the work described on their form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. by providing this foreign labor recruiter list, oflc is providing a greater level of transparency to the h 2b worker recruitment process and facilitating information sharing between the department and other agencies and the public. the list will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here . faqs regarding the foreign labor recruiter list have been posted as 2015 h 2b ifr faqs round 16 and can be accessed here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 3 fy 2016 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 6/30/2016.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated perm program disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2015. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 3 of fy 2016 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. as noted in the july 1, 2016 web announcement below, the national prevailing wage center (npwc) recently began using the 2017 wage data set provided by the bureau of labor statistics (bls), based on may 2015 occupational employment statistics (oes) data. this data set is the first to use the 2010 bls definitions of metropolitan statistical areas (msas), as designated by the office of management and budget. as a result, some eta 9141 prevailing wage request forms submitted prior to the npwc's use of the new data and msa definitions will incorrectly cite in subsection e.c.7a msas that have changed pursuant to the new definitions. if an applicant's eta 9141 form lists a msa that no longer exists due to the updated bls area definitions, the npwc will alter the text in e.c.7a to reflect the correct msa and will include an additional note to notify the applicant that the npwc has altered its form as a result of the update to the msa definitions. in addition, some returning applicants seeking a prevailing wage determination (pwd) for multiple worksites will receive a different wage(s) than in prior years due to the bls geographic area updates. for example, in prior years the areas of somerset and middlesex in new jersey were included in the same msa and thus received the same oes wage in a pwd. however, as a result of the bls update, somerset and middlesex are included in separate bls areas and pwds issued for job opportunities in the areas will not be the same. please direct any questions or comments regarding the effect of the bls updates on the pwd process to the npwc help desk via email at flc.pwd@dol.gov . the updated oes data sets may be viewed by visiting www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm . on july 1, 2016, oflc uploaded the newest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment survey as generated by the bureau of labor statistics for the year from july 2016   june 2017. the effective date is july 1, 2016. prevailing wages issued from the national prevailing wage center will reflect the new data. copies of the oflc's june 23rd presentation on filing tips and common deficiencies associated with the submission of applications for temporary labor certification under the h 2a and h 2b visa programs are now available. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated prevailing wage disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2015. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. as part of the department's office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts for increased public outreach, the oflc will host a public webinar on june 23, 2016, to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on best practices, filing tips, and common deficiencies associated with the submission of applications for temporary labor certification under the h 2a and h 2b visa programs. our objective for this webinar is to provide technical assistance to employers and, if applicable their authorized representatives to avoid frequent or common errors in preparing and submitting h 2a and h 2b applications. to join the webinar event scheduled for thursday, june 23, 2016, please use the below instructions: date: thursday, june 23, 2016 time: 2:00pm   3:30pm est call in number: 888 469 0871 instructions: the department of labor on june 3, 2016 published a frequently asked question (faq) for the h 2a program on the updated form eta 9142a, appendix a. the faq is posted as round 11: june 2016 on the h 2a program page. to directly access the new faq, please click here . oflc is pleased to announce that the office of management and budget (omb) has approved the department's request to update the appendix a in two ways: (1) to reflect new regulatory requirements contained in the 2015 h 2a herder final rule; and (2) to simplify the h 2a process for employers submitting this document alongside their i 129 petitions to the united states citizenship and immigration services (uscis). this approval came as part of the department's 3 year extension of the form eta 9142a and appendix a. the remainder of the data collected on the form eta 9142a remains unchanged. when filing an h 2a application on the form eta 9142a, an employer is required to submit a signed and dated copy of the appendix a, which contains the requisite program assurances and obligations. prior to this announcement, where the oflc granted a temporary labor certification application, the chicago national processing center (npc) sent the employer a certified h 2a application containing a second copy of the appendix a issued on "blue security paper." the employer and its authorized attorney or agent were each then required to sign and date this second copy of appendix a again and then submit it to the uscis. the department's new form will make it unnecessary to sign and submit a second copy of the appendix a. an employer will now only need to sign and date the appendix a once at the time of filing the h 2a application and retain the original in its administrative file. then, where the oflc grants a temporary labor certification, the chicago npc will send a certified h 2a application and a final determination letter to the employer by means normally assuring next day delivery, including electronic mail, and a copy, if applicable, to the employer's authorized attorney or agent. the employer and its authorized attorney or agent will be instructed to complete three steps: complete the newly modified footer on each page of the original appendix a (retained in its administrative file), adding the case number, status, and period of employment from the certified form eta 9142a; retain the original appendix a along with a copy of the certified form eta 9142a, as required by 20 cfr 655.167; and this change will save employers and their agents or attorneys from mailing each other paper forms to sign them a second time   which is effectively required under the current form. transition procedures to obtain a copy of the revised appendix a, please click here . to obtain a copy of the form eta 9142 and general instructions, please click here . the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files through quarter 2 of fy 2016 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 2 fy 2016 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 3/31/2016.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . as part of the department's office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) on going efforts for increased public outreach, the oflc will host a public webinar on april 7, 2016, the to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on submission of wage surveys to determine the prevailing wage for job opportunities in the h 2b temporary non agricultural labor certification program. employer filing tips for submitting h 2b wage surveys the objectives for this webinar are to assist employers and surveyors to avoid frequent errors found in filing prevailing wage determination applications that include wage surveys by: the webinar briefing is scheduled for thursday, april 7, 2016, at 1:30 pm eastern standard time for approximately 90 minutes. this webinar is open to the public and no pre registration is required. it will be accessible to the public on a first come, first served basis on the date specified. to learn how to access the department's upcoming h 2b webinar focused on providing wage survey submission and compliance guidance, please click here . the forms for the h 2a program are currently in review for a three year extension. notice of a second comment period, as required by the paperwork reduction act, is expected to be published in the federal register in the coming weeks. the chicago national processing center will continue to accept the current h 2a program form with 2016 expiration dates, which may be extended in one month increments until the full three year extension is approved by omb and the new forms are posted on our website and updated in the icert system. the department of labor has published a notice in the federal register to announce the allowable charges for 2016 that employers seeking h 2a workers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day, and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim in 2016 under the h 2a and h 2b programs. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence for the h 2a and h 2b programs. to read the notice, please click here . on february 19, oflc announced two initiatives designed to help reduce the backlog of pending h 2b applications and provide information to help the stakeholder community better understand the current processing timeframes for h 2b applications at the chicago npc. oflc will be conducting a second webinar to explain these initiatives in more detail and answer stakeholder questions using a chat room feature. to join the webinar event scheduled for friday, february 26, 2016, please use the below instructions: date: friday, february 26, 2016 time: 1:00pm   3:00pm eastern standard time event number: 748 972 498 presentation: to obtain a copy of the powerpoint presentation slides, please click here instructions: the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to employers who participate in the h 2b temporary nonimmigrant visa program. since the end of december 2015, the department has issued several public announcements concerning recent changes and significant delays in processing h 2b applications at the oflc chicago national processing center (npc). the significant delays employers are experiencing stem from the implementation of changes in program requirements contained in the 2016 dol appropriations act (enacted on december 18, 2015), and the magnitude of the increase in h 2b applications filed during the late december to early january time period. in addition, during the course of several weeks in january 2016, the oflc experienced technical network problems with its icert system due to implementation of software upgrades related to mandatory security requirements, which impacted our staff's ability to process case actions in a timely manner and caused additional delays for our employer customers. since october 1, 2015, the oflc has processed approximately 2,000 h 2b applications requesting approximately 45,500 worker positions. we have certified approximately 1,500 h 2b applications covering more than 36,900 worker positions. between december 28, 2015 and february 19, 2016, the oflc has issued more than 1,300 notices of acceptance (noa) or deficiency (nod) on pending h 2b applications. the oflc has expanded and reallocated resources to assist in the processing of pending h 2b applications without compromising program integrity or the processing timeframes of other visa programs. we continue to focus our efforts on reducing the number of pending cases as quickly as possible and examining administrative flexibilities to increase processing efficiency. to help employers better understand the current processing timeframes for h 2b applications at the chicago npc, the oflc is disclosing case processing information through its icert system at https://icert.doleta.gov , which will be updated at least weekly. the department of labor has published on the h 2b program page an updated version of the h 2b 2015 interim final rule (ifr) job order checklist and updated h 2b 2015 ifr round 11 frequently asked questions: job order content, amendments, and recruitment. to directly access the h 2b 2015 ifr job order checklist, click here . to directly access the h 2b 2015 ifr round 11 faqs, click here . the department is posting the instructions for accessing h 2b stakeholder public webinars that are scheduled for february 17, 2016, at 10:00 am eastern standard time and february 18, 2016, at 2:00 pm eastern standard time. there is no pre registration for the public webinars. each will be accessible to the public on a first come, first served basis on the dates specified. to learn how to access the department's h 2b stakeholder public webinar, please click here . the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 1 of fy 2016 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. on february 17 and 18, 2016, the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) will host two public webinars to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public regarding the changes to the h 2b program made by the 2016 dol appropriations act, enacted on december 18, 2015, and how those changes impact the processing of applications at the oflc national prevailing wage center and chicago national processing center. the webinar briefings are scheduled for february 17, 2016, at 10:00 am eastern standard time and february 18, 2016, at 2:00 pm eastern standard time. each briefing will be identical in content and will last 90 minutes. instructions for accessing these h 2b webinars will be announced by february 12, 2016. the office of foreign labor certification has compiled a list of topics covered in each one of its faq rounds. once launched, the user can search for key words in the faq rounds by clicking the ctrl + f keys. to access the index of oflc faq rounds, please click here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 1 fy 2016 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 12/31/2015. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to employers who participate in h 1b, h 2a and h 2b temporary nonimmigrant visa programs. the oflc has been experiencing technical network problems supporting its icert visa portal system (icert system), resulting in delays in the processing of temporary nonimmigrant visa applications for employers. specifically, although the icert system's application and database are working properly, the network infrastructure supporting the system is exhibiting performance issues that are significantly impacting our staff's ability to process case actions for our employer customers. the department's technology staff is working diligently with the oflc to improve system performance as soon as practically possible. the department of labor on january 22, 2016 published a frequently asked question (faq) for the h 2a program on post certification: corporate restructuring/ successor in interest. the faq is posted as round 10: january 2016 on the h 2a program page. to directly access the new faq, please click here . the department of labor has temporarily removed the h 2b interim final rule job order checklist. it will be re posted as soon as it is updated. the department of labor has published frequently asked questions (faqs) related to employer obligations and minimum job order content requirements for occupations involving a mobile workforce under the 2015 h 2b interim final rule. the faqs are posted as round 15 on the h 2b page. to directly access the new faqs, please click here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated prevailing wage disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2015. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is making this public service announcement to employers who participate in the h 2b temporary nonagricultural visa program. we have received a number of inquiries and correspondence concerning recent changes and delays in processing h 2b applications at the chicago national processing center (npc). the department takes your concerns seriously and strives to support u.s. small businesses, consumers, and communities. the department, along with the department of homeland security, jointly published the 2015 h 2b interim final rule and h 2b wage final rule, which became effective on april 29, 2015. the new rules strengthened protections for u.s. workers while also ensuring that employers can access foreign workers on a temporary basis when u.s. workers are not available. additionally, the rules were intended to bring stability and continuity to the program. however, the 2016 department of labor appropriations act (2016 dol appropriations act), enacted on december 18, 2015, contains provisions significantly affecting the processing of employer h 2b applications at the chicago npc. unfortunately, the time required to implement these new legislative provisions is causing delays in processing employer h 2b applications filed prior to december 18 and that were pending with the chicago npc. following an intensive review of the operational impacts of the 2016 dol appropriations act, oflc posted emergency guidance and has been implementing requirements of the 2016 dol appropriations act, including new procedures and forms approved on an emergency basis by the office of management and budget. in addition, the current filing season has seen more than 1,700 new h 2b applications filed during the holiday season, an approximate 79% increase over the number of h 2b applications filed during the 2014 holiday season. the simultaneous impact of the requirement to change procedures as the result of the 2016 dol appropriations act, and the major increase in the number of applications being filed, has resulted in longer processing times in the h 2b program. this additional processing time may continue for the immediate future so that we can fully incorporate and operationalize the new program requirements and handle the increased workload. our current efforts are focused on reducing the number of pending cases as quickly as possible without compromising program integrity. the department of labor (department) is providing notice that the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) national prevailing wage center (npwc), currently located at 1341 g. street, washington, d.c., is relocating within the washington, d.c. area effective monday, january 11, 2016. the address for the npwc's new location is: us department of labor/eta office of foreign labor certification national prevailing wage center 200 constitution avenue nw room n 5311 washington, d.c. 20210 telephone: (202) 693 8200 the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated h 2b, perm and prevailing wage disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2015. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the 2016 department of labor appropriations act (division h, title i of public law 114 113) (2016 dol appropriations act), which was enacted on december 18, 2015, contained several provisions requiring non substantive modifications to (1) the form eta 9165, employer provided survey attestations to accompany h 2b prevailing wage determination request based on a non oes survey and (2) appendix b of the form eta 9142b, h 2b application for temporary employment certification. in order to comply with the 2016 dol appropriations act, the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) submitted these non substantive modifications to the office of management and budget (omb) for review and approval. the omb has now approved the non substantive modifications. therefore, the oflc certifying officers (cos) may issue h 2b prevailing wage determinations based on the submission of a private survey, and may now certify h 2b applications for temporary labor certification, so long as all applicable program requirements are met. important notices employers requests for prevailing wage determination based on survey employers requests for h 2b temporary labor certification to obtain a copy of the emergency guidance (updated january 5) reflecting these changes, please click here . to obtain a copy of the revised form eta 9165 and general instructions, please click here . to obtain a copy of the revised appendix b, form eta 9142b, please click here . to obtain a copy of the department's latest frequently asked question concerning corresponding employment, please click here . the 2014 annual report presents information on the prevailing wage determination process, permanent labor certification, and temporary nonimmigrant labor certification for fy 2014. the report also contains state employment based labor certification profiles and top country employment based immigration profiles. click here to view the 2014 annual report. a 508 compliant version will posted as soon as available. the department has published a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state, based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular agricultural job and area, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated performance factsheets containing the quarter 4 fy 2015 selected statistics for the h 1b, h 2a and h 2b programs. the reports have been updated to include the percentage of applications processed timely. additionally, the h 2a report has been updated to reflect the correct number of top 10 crops/occupations fytd. reports are derived from program data as of 9/30/2015. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . in efforts to assist users of the h 2a visa program, the department of labor (department) has published a handbook for the herding or production of livestock on the range. this handbook assists u.s. employers with departmental standards and procedures for the employment of temporary h 2a agricultural workers in herding or production of livestock on the range occupations. to access the handbook directly please click here . the department of labor has published frequently asked questions (faqs) related to prevailing wage determinations and emergency filings under the 2015 h 2b interim final rule. the faqs are posted as round 13 on the h 2b page. to directly access the new faqs, please click here . all of the forms for the h 2b program, except the employer provided survey attestations (form eta 9165), have been extended for three years until december 31, 2018. the form eta 9165 is still being extended in monthly increments until receipt of a three year extension. however, if employers have already filled out and signed the forms with an expiration date of 12/31/2015 in anticipation of filing them in the first weeks of january, the department will accept forms with the expiration date of 12/31/2015 through january 31, 2016. also, as a reminder, the form eta 9155 and the registration process are not operational at this time. oflc will announce the implementation of the registration process in the federal register and on this website. the department of labor has published frequently asked questions (faqs) related to emergency filings and post certification amendments under the 2015 h 2b interim final rule. the faqs are posted as round 12 on the h 2b page. to directly access the new faqs, please click here . the department of labor has published frequently asked questions (faqs) related to job order content, recruitment and amendments under the 2015 h 2b interim final rule. the faqs are posted as round 11 on the h 2b page. to directly access the new faqs, please click here . the department also published a job order checklist to help employers ensure they include required disclosures in their h 2b job orders. to read the job order checklist, please click here . the department of labor published frequently asked questions (faqs) on october 30, 2015 on productivity standards for the h 2a program. the faqs are posted as round 9: october 2015 on the h 2a program page. to directly access the new faqs, please click here . on november 19, 2015, the united states department of agriculture (usda) issued the farm labor survey (fls) report in which it established the average annual wage rates, by region and the united states, for field and livestock workers. the department of labor (department) relies on the average annual combined hourly wage for field and livestock workers in order to establish the adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) in the h 2a program. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of workers similarly employed in the united states will not be adversely affected. the department is reviewing the usda fls average annual wage rates for 2015 and will soon publish a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state at which time the rates will become immediately effective. to obtain more information on nass surveys and reports, please call the nass agricultural statistics hotline at (800) 727 9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. et, or e mail: nass@nass.usda.gov . to obtain a copy of the latest usda fls report, please click here . the department of labor (department) is providing notice that the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) national office currently located in the frances perkins building at 200 constitution ave., nw is relocating within washington, dc effective on monday, november 23, 2015. the address for oflc's new location is: u.s. department of labor employment and training administration office of foreign labor certification 375 e street, sw patriot plaza ii, suite 12 200 washington, dc 20024 telephone: (202) 513 7350 however, mail for the oflc national office should continue to be sent to the frances b. perkins building at: office of foreign labor certification employment and training administration department of labor 200 constitution avenue, nw box# 12 200 washington dc 20210 a daily courier service will deliver mail to the new location. on november 16, 2015, the employment and training administration (eta) of the department of labor (department) is issuing this notice to announce the new adverse effect wage rate (aewr) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (h 2a workers) to perform herding or production of livestock on the range. aewrs are the minimum wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here. the forms for the h 2b program have been extended temporarily until november 30, 2015 while oflc awaits approval of its request for a three year extension under review with the office of management and budget (omb). oflc will continue to extend the forms in one month increments until approved by omb. a second comment period, as required by the paperwork reduction act, ends november 30, 2015. for complete details see the federal register notice for omb control number 1205 0509 here and 1205 0516 here . the department will host two public webinars to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the temporary agricultural employment of h 2a foreign workers in the range herding or production of livestock in the united states made by the 2015 h 2a herder final rule, which published on october 16, 2015 with an effective date of november 16, 2015. the final rule may be found here . the webinar briefings are scheduled for november 10, 2015 and november 17, 2015. each webinar will be from 2:00 pm until 3:30 pm eastern time. there is no pre registration for the public webinar. the webinar will be accessible to the public on a first come, first served basis on the each webinar day. please read the instructions for accessing the department's webinars for the 2015 h 2a herder final rule here . the department of labor is making available frequently asked questions (faqs) that address job order and application filing, processing, and wage rate under the new regulation governing the temporary agricultural employment of h 2a foreign workers in the herding or production of livestock on the range in the united states (h 2a herder final rule). this rule will be effective on november 16, 2015. to read the new faqs, please click here . to read a short description of the h 2a herder rule and faqs addressing implementation and major provisions of the h 2a herder rule, please click here. fy 2015 q4 cumulative disclosure data the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2015 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the fy 2015 quarter 4 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 9/30/2015.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . on october 16, 2015, the department of labor (department) published a new regulation governing the temporary agricultural employment of h 2a foreign workers in the herding or production of livestock on the range (h 2a herder final rule) in the united states. this final rule amends the current regulations governing the labor certification process and standards to cover h 2a foreign workers in herder occupations, codified at 20 cfr part 655, and enforcement of employer obligations under the h 2a program. in the coming weeks, the department's office of foreign labor certification will publish additional technical implementation materials on its website for the new h 2a herder final rule and will alert stakeholders as those materials becomes available. to read the full text of the final rule, please click here . this rule will be effective on november 16, 2015. to read a short description of the final rule and faqs regarding the final rule, please click here. on october 13, 2015, the office of the federal register (ofr) placed on public inspection the final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a foreign workers in the herding or production of livestock on the range in the united states. the ofr made minor technical edits to the final rule posted on our website earlier the same day, but the substance of the final rule remains the same. only the version published in the federal register is the official regulation. to view the final rule on the ofr's public inspection site, please click here. on october 13, 2015, the u.s. department of labor announced the h 2a herder final rule regarding the employment of foreign workers in jobs related to the herding of livestock on the range, including the herding of sheep and goats. to read the news release regarding this regulation, click here. the following public data has been updated due to data defects. duplicated & voided cases removed; missing records restored in the following: the h 1b program disclosure data file has been updated to include records through june 30, 2015 for quarter 3 of fy 2015. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the recording of the h 2b 2015 final wage rule webinar briefing, hosted on august 21, 2015, has been posted under the prevailing wage information section on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b 2015 interim final rule web page. to access the page, please click here . to access the recording directly, please click here . on tuesday, september 1, 2015, the department implemented software updates to the permanent labor certification case management system (cms). an unexpected programming glitch occurred which impacted a small number of applications and resulted in the prohibition of certain information being entered onto the eta form 9089. the department is working to correct this issue. until the revisions become operational, an employer who cannot complete and file an eta form 9089 online should mail in their application to the atlanta national processing center at the following address: u.s. department of labor employment and training administration office of foreign labor certification atlanta national processing center harris tower, suite 410 233 peachtree street atlanta, georgia 30303 employers, who attempted to submit an online application between tuesday, september 1, 2015, and friday, september 11, 2015, only, are authorized to provide documentation establishing that information in their eta form 9089 was impacted. if you elect to provide documentation with the eta form 9089, please include a cover page containing the words "september 2015, cms technical issue" in the center of the page in large letters. all documentation in response to this letter must be submitted by september 30, 2015, to the following: u.s. department of labor employment and training administration office of foreign labor certification attn: cms technical issue team atlanta national processing center harris tower, suite 410 233 peachtree street atlanta, georgia 30303 the presentation for the h 2b 2015 final wage rule webinar briefing, hosted on august 21, 2015 has been posted under the prevailing wage information section on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b 2015 interim final rule web page. to access the page, please click here . to access the presentation directly, please click here. the department will host a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2b program made by the h 2b 2015 final wage rule, in effect as of april 29, 2015. the webinar briefing is scheduled for august 21, 2015, from 1:00 pm until 2:30 pm eastern daylight time. there is no pre registration for the public webinar. the webinar will be accessible to the public on a first come, first served basis on the date specified. please read the instructions for accessing the department's h 2b final wage rule public webinar here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted new and updated labor condition application (lca/ eta form 9035/9035e) frequently asked questions (faqs) for the h 1b, h 1b1 and e 3 programs. the new faqs may be found here . the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) today has implemented a change in the official signature on approved labor certification applications. specifically, oflc determinations to grant permanent and temporary labor certification will no longer display the electronic signature of the oflc acting administrator, william w. thompson, ii. beginning july 31, 2015, the electronic signature on approved applications under the permanent (eta forms 9089, 750) and temporary (eta forms 9035e, 9142a, 9142b, 9033) visa programs will be shown as "certifying officer." this change demonstrates increased transparency and more accurately reflects the operational decision making process across the organization. the oflc has consulted with the department of homeland security's united state citizenship and immigration services on this change for purposes of accepting employer filed i 129 and i 140 petitions. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the fy 2015 quarter 3 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 6/30/2015.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page. the department of labor is making available frequently asked questions (faqs) that address post certification program integrity measures under the h 2b 2015 interim final rule. to read the faqs click here or visit the h 2b program page . the department of labor has posted an update regarding the processing of h 2b labor certifications granted under the 2008 final rule. to read the update, please visit the h 2b program page . the department has published two notices in the federal register announcing 60 day comment periods on its forms used in the h 2b program, which include the form eta 9142b, application for temporary employment certification, appendix b, and the new form eta 9165, employer provided survey attestations to accompany h 2b prevailing wage determination request based on a non oes survey. to read the notices, please click here for the eta 9142b and here for the eta 9165. to obtain a copy of the forms and the supporting documentation please submit your request to eta.oflc.forms@dol.gov , subject line: form eta 9142b or form eta 9165. the forms were approved by the office of management and budget in conjunction with the h 2b rulemaking under the emergency procedures of the paperwork reduction act. the department now seeks to extend the forms for three years. the department of labor is making available additional 2015 interim final rule frequently asked questions (faqs): 1. appeal procedures and 2. staggered crossing of h 2b nonimmigrants working in the seafood industry . the faqs may also be found on the h 2b program page under the "frequently asked questions" dropdown menu. july 15, 2015. fy 2015 q3 cumulative disclosure data the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 3 of fy 2015 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the h 2b rfi mailbox at the chicago national processing center ( rfi.h2b.chicago@dol.gov ) will cease to be monitored july 13, 2015, and will no longer accept messages starting september 30, 2015. all stakeholders should use tlc.chicago@dol.gov for all communications concerning the h 2a and h 2b temporary labor certification programs. the office of foreign labor certification has updated the following h 2b forms: 1) form 9142b   general instructions; 2) appendix b; 3) form 9142b, job contractor requirements under the 2015 h 2b interim final rule. to access the forms, please click here . on may 27, 2015, the department of labor hosted a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2b program made by the h 2b 2015 interim final rule, which became effective on april 29, 2015. to learn more, you may now access the webinar recording and presentation slides on the h 2b 2015 interim final rule page, under additional resources here . the recording of the h 2b 2015 final wage rule webinar briefing, hosted on may 15, 2015, has been posted under the prevailing wage information section on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b 2015 interim final rule web page. to access the page, please click here . to access the recording directly, please click here . on april 15, 2015, the department of labor (department) published in the federal register a notice of proposed rulemaking: temporary agricultural employment of h 2a foreign workers in the herding or production of livestock on the open range in the united states (nprm) (80 fr 20300). the nprm provided for the submission of public comments through may 15, 2015. in response to public requests to extend the comment period, the department published a subsequent notice in the federal register to extend the comment period by 15 days, through june 1, 2015 (80 fr 25633). after the publication of the notice announcing the extension, the department received additional requests to extend the comment period. however, the department is required by court order to publish a final rule no later than november 1, 2015, mendoza v. perez, no. 11 1790 (d.d.c oct. 31, 2014), and any further extension of the comment period would significantly impair our ability to meet this court ordered deadline. as a result, we have not further extended the comment period beyond june 1, 2015. on may 27, 2015 at 2pm eastern daylight time, the department of labor will host a public webinar to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2b program made by the h 2b 2015 interim final rule, which became effective on april 29, 2015. please note that this webinar is limited to 300 participants and will be accessible to the public on a first come, first served basis. to learn more, including how to access the department's h 2b 2015 interim final rule public webinar, please click here. the recording of the h 2b 2015 final wage rule webinar briefing, hosted on may 13, 2015, has been posted under the prevailing wage information section on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b 2015 interim final rule web page. to access the page, please click here . to access the recording directly, please click here. the presentation for the h 2b 2015 final wage rule webinar briefings, hosted on may 13, 2015 and may 15, 2015, has been posted under the prevailing wage information section on the office of foreign labor certification's h 2b 2015 interim final rule web page. to access the page, please click here . to access the presentation directly, please click here. the department will host two public webinars to educate stakeholders, program users, and other interested members of the public on the changes to the h 2b program made by the h 2b 2015 final wage rule, in effect as of april 29, 2015. the webinar briefings are scheduled for may 13, 2015 and may 15, 2015, from 1:00 pm until 2:30 pm eastern daylight time. there is no pre registration for the public webinars. each will be accessible to the public on a first come, first served basis on the dates specified. please read the instructions for accessing the department's h 2b final wage rule public webinars here. on april 15, 2015, the department of labor (department) published in the federal register a notice of proposed rulemaking: temporary agricultural employment of h 2a foreign workers in the herding or production of livestock on the open range in the united states (h 2a open range nprm), 80 fr 20300 (apr. 15, 2015). the notice provided for the submission of public comments through may 15, 2015. in order to provide the public with additional time to submit comments, the department published a subsequent notice in the federal register to extend this comment period. to read the notice extending the comment period by 15 days, to and including june 1, 2015, please click here. the office of foreign labor certification has created a dedicated web page for the h 2b 2015 interim final rule to provide assistance to stakeholders. the web page contains program details with links to frequently asked questions, the icert system for electronic filing, the forms page and more. to access the page, please click here. on april 29, 2015, the departments of labor and homeland security jointly published new regulations governing the h 2b temporary non agricultural labor certification program. the new regulations are effective immediately. in an effort to increase the transparency of foreign labor certification application processing, the office of foreign labor certification has expanded the data fields displayed in the perm, h 1b, h 2a and h 2b disclosure data. the 2nd quarter disclosure data now includes additional information that better coincides with the majority of data fields displayed located on the labor certification registry . a power point presentation has been posted here to provide details of the additional fields included in the new tables. on april 15, 2015, the federal district court for the northern district of florida issued a further order in perez v. perez, no 3:14 cv 682 (n.d. fla., march 4, 2015) that permits dol to continue its processing of h 2b applications and requests for prevailing wages through may 15, 2015 unless otherwise lifted by the court. therefore, dol is continuing to process h 2b applications and requests for prevailing wage. under the court order issued march 18, 2015, by the federal district court in perez v. perez, no. 3:14 cv 682 (n.d. florida), dol was permitted to temporarily resume processing h 2b requests for prevailing wages and applications for labor certification under the 2008 h 2b rule through april 15, 2015. the court's order permitted only a temporary resumption, and now requires dol once again to cease accepting or processing requests for prevailing wage determinations or applications for labor certification in the h 2b program. effective april 16, 2015, dol has ceased accepting or processing h 2b prevailing wage determinations and applications for h 2b temporary non agricultural labor certification under the 2008 rule. dol and dhs are moving as quickly as possible to issue new joint regulations that will enable dol to resume processing h 2b applications and requests for prevailing wage determinations. on april 15, 2015, the department published in the federal register a notice of proposed rulemaking: temporary agricultural employment of h 2a foreign workers in the herding or production of livestock on the open range in the united states (h 2a open range nprm). 80 fr 20300 (apr. 15, 2015). the department invites public comments on the h 2a open range nprm during the 30 day comment period ending on may 15, 2015. to read the h 2a open range nprm and learn how to submit comments, please click here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 2 fy 2015 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 3/30/2015.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the department of labor is making available frequently asked questions (faqs) regarding its implementation of the northern district of florida's march 18, 2015 decision to temporarily stay its earlier judgment in perez v. perez, no. 3:14 cv 682 (n.d. florida, mar. 4, 2015). as a result of this stay, the department has temporarily resumed processing of requests for h 2b prevailing wage determinations and applications for h 2b temporary non agricultural labor certification until april 15, 2015. the faqs can be accessed here . on march 18, 2015, the federal district court in the northern district of florida issued an order effectively permitting dol to restart its processing of h 2b applications under the 2008 rule immediately and to continue processing applications under that rule through april 15, 2015. effective immediately, dol will begin processing h 2b applications under the 2008 rule and will continue to do so through april 15th. under the terms of the court's march 18th order, any application for certification or prevailing wage determination that has not completed dol processing by the time the stay ends as of april 16, 2015 may no longer be processed under the 2008 h 2b rule. on march 4, 2015, the federal district court in the northern district of florida vacated the department of labor's (dol) 2008 h 2b regulations on the ground that dol lacks authority under the immigration and nationality act to issue regulations in the h 2b program. perez v. perez, no. 3:14 cv 682 (n.d. fla., mar. 4, 2015). because this decision vacated the rule and permanently enjoined dol from enforcing it, dol was forced to immediately discontinue the processing of applications for temporary labor certification in the h 2b program. to rectify the regulatory gap that the vacatur has caused, dol and dhs are working expeditiously to issue a joint interim final rule (ifr). it is the two departments' intention to promulgate this rule by april 30, 2015. in addition, dol will seek to determine whether relief from the court's decision may be obtained such that processing can continue during the period of time before an ifr is promulgated. dol and dhs recognize the hardship that has resulted from the court's decision. that is why the departments are moving as quickly as possible to issue new regulations that would be consistent with the decision. in so doing, the departments must be mindful of other court decisions that have invalidated past subregulatory actions in the h 2b and related programs, including the issuance of guidance in the absence of rulemaking. on march 4, 2015, the federal district court in the northern district of florida vacated the department of labor‘s (dol) 2008 h 2b regulations on the ground that dol lacks authority under the immigration and nationality act to issue regulations in the h 2b program. perez v. perez , no. 3:14 cv 682 (n.d. florida, mar. 4, 2015). because of this decision, effective immediately, dol can no longer accept or process requests for prevailing wage determinations or applications for labor certification in the h 2b program. dol is considering its options in light of the court‘s decision. the department of labor has published a notice in the federal register to announce the allowable charges for 2015 that employers seeking h 2a workers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day, and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim in 2015. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence for the h 2a program. to read the notice, please click here . the 2013 annual report presents information on the prevailing wage determination process, permanent labor certification, and temporary nonimmigrant labor certification for fy 2013. the report also contains state employment based labor certification profiles and top country employment based immigration profiles. click here to view the 2013 annual report. on dec. 23, 2014, the department announced procedures to implement the court's decision in comite de apoyo a los trabajadores agricolas et al v. perez, no. 14 3557 (3rd cir.dec. 5, 2014), which were applicable to (1) employers with pending prevailing wage requests based on an employer provided survey and (2) employers who had received a prevailing wage determination based on an employer provided survey but whose h 2b application had not yet been certified. in the latter case, the department is issuing supplemental prevailing wage determinations (spwds) based on the oes mean. for employers who already received an h 2b temporary labor certification based on an employer provided survey as of the date of the issuance of the court's order on december 5, 2014, the department will hold in abeyance the issuance of any spwds pending the conclusion of the adjudicatory proceeding initiated by the secretary of labor's notice of intent to issue a declaratory order, 79 fed. reg. 75179 (dec. 17, 2014). the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 1 of fy 2015 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. on december 17, 2014, the department of labor (department) published in the federal register a notice of intent to issue declaratory order, request for comment, 79 fed. reg. 75179 (notice). the notice provided for the submission of public comments through january 16, 2015. on january 16, 2015 the department published in the federal register a subsequent notice extending this comment period by 15 days, until february 2, 2015 in order to provide the public with additional time to submit comments. to read the notice extending the comment period, please click here . to read the notice and learn how to submit comments, please click here . the office of foreign labor certification (oflc) has updated the faq page of its official website with a new keyword search function, search faqs . users may now search the faq page by using a single keyword or exact phrase to identify items in the faq database that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user. a tip sheet has been developed to assist with use of the search faqs tool. to access the faqs page and search faqs tip sheet, click here. on december 17, 2014, the department of labor (department) published in the federal register a notice of intent to issue declaratory order, request for comment, 79 fed. reg. 75179 (notice). the notice provided for the submission of public comments through january 16, 2015. the department will publish in the federal register a notice extending this comment period by 15 days, until february 2, 2015 in order to provide the public with additional time to submit comments. to read the notice and learn how to submit comments, please click here . on thursday, january 22nd, 2015 from 4:30pm until 5:30pm est , the department of labor (department) will host a stakeholder listening session regarding the permanent labor certification program (perm) via conference call. the session will be led by the department's deputy chief of staff, seema nanda and the assistant secretary for employment and training, portia wu. the department is interested in beginning a dialogue and receiving feedback from you regarding the perm program's role in employment based immigration, its current regulatory framework and any general areas of concern to the stakeholder community. to learn more, please read the department's factsheet . to participate in the listening session please rsvp no later than january 19th by clicking on the following link http://webapps.dol.gov/dolevents/event/view/347/perm public listening session and completing the registration form for the individual who will represent your organization . once an rsvp is received, your organization's representative will receive a confirmation e mail with additional details. if you have questions, please feel free to contact the department's office of public engagement at publicengagement@dol.gov . we look forward to engaging with you on this important issue. in response to inquiries from our stakeholders, the department is elaborating on the procedures that will be utilized in implementing the decision in comite de apoyo a los trabajadores agricolas et al v. solis , no. 14 3557 (3rd cir.), as stated below. additional guidance may also be posted here. employers with pending prevailing wage request: employers who have a prevailing wage determination request pending that is based on an employer provided survey may modify that request to utilize a service contract act (sca) or davis bacon act (dba) wage determination or a wage based on a collective bargaining agreement (cba). that request will not be treated as a new filing and the request will be processed based on the original filing date. employers are reminded that the request must specify precisely which sca or dba wage determination is being used or provide a copy of the collective bargaining agreement. in the absence of such a request, the npwc will issue the prevailing wage determination based on the oes mean for the occupation. employers who have received a prevailing wage determination: employers who have already received a prevailing wage determination based on an employer provided survey but who have not yet filed their application with the chicago national processing center (npc) may request a redetermination from the national prevailing wage center irrespective of the time limits set forth in 20 cfr 655.10(g). an employer who has received a prevailing wage determination based on an employer provided survey may use the survey based wage rate in its recruiting. employers who have filed their application with the npc, and whose applications are adjudicated favorably, will receive a supplemental prevailing wage determination (spwd) based on the oes mean for the occupation, along with the certification. the spwd will provide the opportunity to seek a redetermination under 20 cfr 655.10(g). if, upon redetermination, the use of an alternative wage source (sca, dba, or cba) is approved, the employer should return the original certification to the npc and a new certification will be issued. the department has published a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state, based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular agricultural job and area, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . the department of labor has published in the federal register a notice of intent to issue a declaratory order applicable to the temporary non agricultural employment h 2b program. to read the notice, please click here . effective december 8, 2014, the department is no longer issuing prevailing wage determinations in the h 2b program based on employer provided wage surveys. this action is in response to the court order entered december 5, 2014 in comite de apoyo a los trabajadores agricolas et al v. solis , no. 14 3557 (3rd cir.). the court's order vacated the portion of the h 2b wage rule (20 cfr § 655.10(f)) and 2009 wage guidance permitting the use of such surveys. therefore, prevailing wage determination requests currently pending with the national prevailing wage center that seek to utilize employer provided surveys will be given the appropriate occupational employment statistics (oes) wage for the occupation. employers who wish to utilize a service contract act or davis bacon act wage determination or a wage based on a collective bargaining agreement may request redetermination under 20 cfr § 655.10(g). employers whose prevailing wage determination was based an employer provided wage survey, but whose h 2b applications for temporary employment certification have not yet resulted in a final determination by the chicago npc, will be notified of their new wage obligation along with their certification letters. > on november 20, 2014, the united states department of agriculture (usda) issued the farm labor survey (fls) report in which it established the average annual wage rates, by region and the united states, for field and livestock workers. the department of labor (department) relies on the average annual combined hourly wage for field and livestock workers in order to establish the adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) in the h 2a program. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment, so that the wages of workers similarly employed in the united states will not be adversely affected. the department is reviewing the usda fls average annual wage rates for 2014 and will soon publish a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state at which time the rates will become immediately effective. to obtain more information on nass surveys and reports, please call the nass agricultural statistics hotline at (800) 727 9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. et, or e mail: nass@nass.usda.gov . to obtain a copy of the latest usda fls report, please click here . as of october 27, 2014, the atlanta national processing center has changed its process and will no longer automatically forward to balca all perm case requests for reconsideration where the original case decision was upheld. rather, a notice of decision will be issued when the case is upheld, and the employer must affirmatively request review before balca no later than 30 calendar days after the date the notice of decision is issued. faqs now reflect this change in process. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 4 fy 2014 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 9/30/2014.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . on july 8, 2013, the national archives and records administration (nara) approved oflc's revised retention schedule following a 30 day period of public notice and review. as part of its review and approval process, nara determined employer applications for labor certification and supporting documentation, whether retained in paper and electronic form, are temporary records and subject to destruction in accordance with an approved disposition schedule. the oflc approved disposition schedule authorizes the retention of records for a period of 5 years following the date a final determination letter is issued or final action occurs, such as a withdrawn application, subject to an active investigation or litigation hold. the records nara identified as permanent records are the annual disclosure data files currently located on the flc data center at http://www.flcdatacenter.com , as well as the quarterly disclosure data files and the oflc annual reports located on the oflc performance page at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/performance. labor condition applications (lca) retained in the lca online system are all beyond the retention period of 5 years from a date of final determination or final action. therefore, effective october 17, 2014, the lca online system located at http://www.lca.doleta.gov has been decommissioned. the oflc will no longer respond to inquiries to search for records in response to foia requests, or provide information for requests for duplicate certifications for lca applications processed in the lca online system, in keeping with the oflc records schedule. on january 17, 2014, the president signed into law the consolidated appropriations act of 2014 (the "2014 appropriations act"), pub. l. 113 76, which included a provision permitting staggered entry of h 2b workers employed by employers in the seafood industry under certain conditions. following passage of the continuing appropriations resolution, 2015, pub. l. 113 164, this provision now expires on december 11, 2014; accordingly, no staggered entry of h 2b workers after december 11, 2014 will be permitted absent further legislative extensions. in order to use the "staggered crossing" provision established by the 2014 appropriations act, seafood industry employers must download, complete and sign the official attestation , and provide it to the h 2b nonimmigrant worker for presentation, upon request, to the department of state's consular officers and/or the department of homeland security's customs and border protection officers. the frequently asked questions (faqs) may be accessed here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the fy 2014 q4 td selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 8/31/2014.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the fy 2014 q4 td selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 8/31/2014.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page. important! the icert and perm systems will be unavailable during the following dates/times as the department upgrades the databases to oracle 11g: starting friday, august 22 at 7:00 pm est ending monday, august 25 at 6:00 am est we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. in the event that the department's upgrade is delayed or canceled, we will post a revised or new technical announcement. we anticipate all systems returning to normal operations after 6:00 am est on monday, august 25. the office of foreign labor certification has posted an updated program factsheet containing the quarter 3 fy 2014 selected statistics for the prevailing wage determination program , reflecting the correct number of prevailing wage determinations fytd. reports are derived from program data as of 6/30/2014. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . oflc has posted updated versions of the perm and prevailing wage disclosure datasets titled "perm_fy14_q3.xlsx" and "pwd_fy14_q3.xlsx." these updated datasets include cumulative data covering october 1, 2013 through june 30, 2014. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 3 of fy 2014 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 3 fy 2014 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 6/30/2014.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . on july 1, 2014, oflc uploaded the newest prevailing wage data from the occupational employment survey as generated by the bureau of labor statistics for the year from july 2014   june 2015. the effective date is july 1, 2014. prevailing wages issued from the national prevailing wage center will reflect the new data. oflc has become aware of an anomaly in the published lca disclosure dataset titled "h1b_fy2014_q2". the error is with respect to the listing of the "pw_source_1" and "pw_source_2" data. the dataset erroneously listed a numeric code associated with a wage source; it has been corrected to display the actual wage source. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 3 td fy 2014 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . reports are derived from program data as of 5/24/2014.the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . oflc has become aware of an anomaly in the published prevailing wage disclosure datasets titled " pwd_fy 2013.xlsx " and " pwd_fy 2014_q2.xlsx " the error is with respect to the listing of wage levels (level i iv) under the column "pwd_wage_level" for all h 2b wage determinations issued on or after april 24, 2013. effective april 24, 2013 wage levels i iv were no longer issued for all h 2b wages, and the wage level listed on the disclosure dataset is inaccurate. h 2b oes wages were and are issued at the oes mean wage. the office of foreign labor certification has posted a disclosure data user guide on the disclosure data tab of the performance data section of their website that provides an example of how, using microsoft excel, the oflc disclosure data files can be filtered or sorted to provide relevant information specific to your needs. on july 8, 2013, the national archives and records administration (nara) approved oflc's revised retention schedule following a 30 day period of public notice and review. as part of its review and approval process, nara determined employer applications for labor certification and supporting documentation, whether retained in paper and electronic form, are temporary records and subject to destruction in accordance with an approved disposition schedule. the oflc approved disposition schedule authorizes the retention of records for a period of 5 years following the date a final determination letter is issued or final action occurs, such as a withdrawn application, subject to an active investigation or litigation hold. the records nara identified as permanent records are the annual disclosure data files currently located on the flc data center at http://www.flcdatacenter.com , as well as the quarterly disclosure data files and the oflc annual reports located on the oflc performance page at http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/performancedata.cfm . labor condition applications (lca) retained in the lca online system: as of thursday, april 17, 2014, the oflc no longer has access to employer h 1b, h 1b1 or e 3 application records that are beyond the retention period of 5 years from a date of final determination or final action, and stored in the lca online system which is located at: http://www.lca.doleta.gov . the records have been destroyed in accordance with oflc's record schedule daa 0369 2013 0002. prior to the destruction of the records, any records within the 5 year retention period, part of an active investigation, freedom of information act requests, or mandatory litigation hold have been identified and were not destroyed. employers will still be able to access applications processed in 2009. the oflc will no longer respond to inquiries to search for records in response to foia requests, or provide information for requests for duplicate certifications for lca applications with a final determination issued in 2008 or earlier, in keeping with the oflc records schedule. on january 17, 2014, the president signed into law the consolidated appropriations act of 2014 (the "2014 appropriations act"), pub. l. 113 76, which includes a provision permitting staggered entry of h 2b workers employed by employers in the seafood industry under certain conditions. this provision expires on september 30, 2014; accordingly, no staggered entry of h 2b workers after september 30, 2014 will be permitted. in order to use the "staggered crossing" provision established by the 2014 appropriations act, seafood industry employers must download, complete and sign the official attestation , and provide it to the h 2b nonimmigrant worker for presentation, upon request, to the department of state's consular officers and/or the department of homeland security's customs and border protection officers. the frequently asked questions (faqs) may be accessed here . april 15, 2014 the icert system and the perm case management system (cms) will both be unavailable on saturday, may 3, 2014, from 6:00 am until approximately 8:00 pm eastern time for required scheduled maintenance. while we do not at this time anticipate problems once the maintenance has been performed, filers may experience delays and/or continued unavailability immediately following the scheduled maintenance, and the department will do everything possible to avoid or minimize any service issues. we apologize for the inconvenience. on january 17, 2014, the president signed into law the consolidated appropriations act of 2014 (the "2014 appropriations act"), pub. l. 113 76, which includes a provision permitting staggered entry of h 2b workers employed by employers in the seafood industry under certain conditions. this provision expires on september 30, 2014; accordingly, no staggered entry of h 2b workers after september 30, 2014 will be permitted. in order to use the "staggered crossing" provision established by the 2014 appropriations act, seafood industry employers must download, complete and sign the official attestation, and provide it to the h 2b nonimmigrant worker for presentation, upon request, to the department of state's consular officers and/or the department of homeland security's customs and border protection officers. the frequently asked questions (faqs) may be accessed here. the following case disclosure files cover determinations issued between january 1, 2014 through march 31, 2014. a small percentage of determinations are subject to change in subsequent quarterly releases due to appeal or redetermination decisions on employer applications. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/performance the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 2 fy 2014 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . this announcement is an important reminder that our icert system web site at http://icert.doleta.gov is best viewed and optimized to work on microsoft internet explorer 8 (ie). although the icert system is functional using other versions of ie or alternative browsers such as firefox, chrome, or safari, please be aware that you may experience technical issues with screen navigation or other certain "pop up" windows (e.g., occupation or industry code pop up functions) appearing within the icert system, especially in the prevailing wage, h 2a and h 2b modules. until we release an upgrade to the icert system in the coming months, customers with ie 9, ie 10, or higher installed on their computers can fix these screen navigation or other technical issues by performing the following minor adjustments to their browser: once you completed these basic steps, your browser will be compatible with ie 8 and the icert system technical issues should be resolved. please do not hesitate to contact the icert system help desk at oflc.portal@dol.gov if you are continuing to have difficulties accessing the system. thank you. lcas approved, but email notifications not always getting to submitter: please be advised that oflc's icert system is experiencing an it glitch with respect to the issuance of confirmation emails for labor condition applications (lcas). oflc is working to resolve this issue. we strongly recommend that submitters continue to check their icert accounts to confirm lca status and to retrieve and print certified lcas. the department of labor has published a notification in the federal register to provide notice to the regulated community of the status of the wage methodology for the temporary non agricultural employment h 2b program, published january 19, 2011, (2011 wage rule) in the federal register. to read the notice, please click here . the department of labor has published a notice in the federal register to announce the allowable charges for 2014 that employers seeking h 2a workers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day, and the maximum travel subsistence meal reimbursement that a worker with receipts may claim in 2014. the notice also includes a reminder regarding employers' obligations with respect to overnight lodging costs as part of required subsistence for the h 2a program. to read the notice, please click here . the office of foreign labor certification has replaced an incorrect link previously located on the oflc's performance data page, disclosure data tab. the fiscal year 2012 pw_case_data_fy2012 link has been updated and now directs users to the correct fy 2012 prevailing wage disclosure data file. new frequently asked question (faq). this faq addresses how an employer is to demonstrate that it notified and considered laid off u.s. workers for the job opportunity listed on the eta form 9089. to read the faq, please click here and scroll to the perm / recruitment report subheading. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 1 fy 2014 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 1 of fy 2014 are now available. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. in order to implement the department's it modernization initiative and new cloud computing requirements, the oflc chicago national processing center (npc) deactivated the following email boxes on february 3, 2014: accordingly, h 2a and h 2b employers who need to request amendments/extensions or submit notices of worker abandonments and terminations must use the tlc.chicago@dol.gov mailbox. please remember to include "amend and extend" or "abandonment and termination", as applicable, in the "subject" line of your e mail. employers may also continue to submit these requests via fax on (312) 886 1688 or u.s. mail at the following address: u.s. department of labor office of foreign labor certification chicago national processing center 11 west quincy court chicago, il 60604 2105 attention: h 2a program unit section 212(a)(5)(a) of the immigration and nationality act requires the secretary to certify the admissibility of a foreign national for employment only when the secretary can certify that the employment of that foreign worker will not adversely impact the wages and working conditions of us workers similarly employed, and that there is a job opportunity for which a us worker is unavailable. as the regulated community knows, the department of labor's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) is responsible for maintaining the integrity and compliance of the primarily attestation based perm program through the use of certain measures, including audit and supervised recruitment, under a broad integrity review authority. at the time of perm's implementation, the department stated that oflc would select certain applications for audit, employing "auditing techniques that can be adjusted as necessary to maintain program integrity", as well as for quality control. 69 fed. reg. 77326, 77328 (dec. 27, 2004). the department noted at the time the need for changing audit criteria to focus integrity efforts on program abuse and adjust the audit mechanism as necessary as we gained program experience. 69 fed. reg. 77359. finally, the department reserved the process of supervised recruitment for a broad application "in any case in which the c[ertifying] o[fficer] deems it appropriate" as a reasonable quality control mechanism. 69 fed. reg. 77360, 77362. in response to a recent freedom of information act (foia) request, we are releasing and making available to all of the regulated community the following documentation regarding the areas in the perm program that have in the past warranted this closer examination. click here to view the oflc audit plan. these areas were deliberately chosen to ensure we are carrying out our statutory responsibilities while also recognizing the evolving nature of program integrity and quality control. we hope the publication of this information assists filers, especially first time filers, comply with the perm program's various requirements. the 2012 annual report presents information on the prevailing wage determination process, permanent labor certification, and temporary nonimmigrant labor certification for fy 2012. the report also contains state employment based labor certification profiles, information on stem related occupations in the labor certification programs, h 2a agricultural certification statistics, and top country employment based immigration profiles. click here to view the 2012 annual report. the department has published a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state, based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular agricultural job and area, so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . on december 3, 2013, the board of alien labor certification appeals (balca) issued an en banc decision in the matter of island holdings llc (2013 pwd 00002). that decision vacated the supplemental prevailing wage determinations issued in light of the department's interim final h 2b wage rule (78 fed. reg. 24047, april 24, 2013). a class action complaint has been filed in the district court in the eastern district of pennsylvania, challenging the island holdings decision, cata v. perez , 13 cv 07213. after a full review of the island holdings decision and the district court complaint, the department has decided to postpone action on the island holdings decision pending judicial review, as permitted by the administrative procedure act, 5 u.s.c. § 705. this action is in the interest of justice, given the confusion and substantial disruption that would be created if the department implemented the decision and it was subsequently overturned by the district court. accordingly, all oflc actions related to the resolution of appeals in the supplemental prevailing wage decisions will be stayed, pending the resolution of the district court action. please continue to check back on this site for additional information. the office of foreign labor certification has posted revised program factsheets containing the fy 2013 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program, and the fy 2013 h 2a temporary agricultural labor certification program. the revised program factsheets may be found on oflc's performance data page. the h 1a nursing visa (20 cfr 655 subparts d and e) and the f 1 student off campus work permit (20 cfr 655 subparts j and k) regulations were based on statutes that sunset september 30, 1997 and september 30, 1996, respectively; the programs sunset at later dates and have now been completed. the logging provisions in 20 cfr subpart c were incorporated into the h 2a regulations published in the department of labor's final rule, temporary agricultural employment of h 2a aliens in the united states, 75 fr 6884 (feb. 12, 2010). to see the h 1a rule, click here . to see the f 1 rule, click here , to see the logging rule, click here . on october 17, 2013, the united states department of agriculture (usda) announced a change in the schedule for the release of certain reports due to the lapse in federal appropriations resulting in the government shutdown. among the affected reports is the farm labor survey (fls) report upon which the department relies in order to establish the adverse effect wage rates in the h 2a program. the new release date for the fls report will be december 5, 2013. to learn more, please read the usda news release. the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 4 fy 2013 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program, prevailing wage determination program, h 1b temporary visa program, h 2a temporary agricultural visa program, and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program. the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page. on july 8, 2013, the national archives and records administration (nara) approved oflc's revised retention schedule following a 30 day period of public notice and review. as part of its review and approval process, nara determined employer applications for labor certification and supporting documentation, whether retained in paper and electronic form, are temporary records and subject to destruction in accordance with an approved disposition schedule. the oflc approved disposition schedule authorizes the retention of records for a period of 5 years following the date a final determination letter is issued, subject to an active investigation or litigation hold. the records nara identified as permanent records are the annual disclosure data files currently located on the flc data center at http://www.flcdatacenter.com , as well as the quarterly disclosure data files and the oflc annual reports located on the oflc performance page at http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/performancedata.cfm . permanent program applications retained in the oflc permanent backlog system (pbls): as of october 25, 2013 the oflc no longer has access to employer application records that are beyond the retention period of 5 years from the date a final determination was issued and stored in the pbls system. the pbls system, which was previously used by the oflc backlog processing centers, has now been destroyed in accordance with oflc records schedule number daa 0369 2013 0002. prior to destruction of the pbls system software and database, any records within the 5 year retention period, active investigation, freedom of information act requests, or mandatory litigation hold have been identified and were not destroyed. the oflc will no longer respond to inquiries to confirm priority dates, search for records in response to foia requests, or provide information for requests for duplicate certifications for permanent labor certification applications with a final determination issued in 2008 or earlier, in keeping with the oflc records schedule. on october 21st, oflc announced, as a temporary accommodation not to exceed 30 days, it would send an adobe pdf of an approved certification to h 2a employers and authorized representatives. that accommodation will be continued through november 18, 2013. the department has revised the eta form 232, domestic agricultural in season wage report and eta form 232 a, wage survey interview record which are used by state workforce agencies (swa) to collect wage information from agricultural employers for the h 2a program. this enhanced survey and reporting mechanism will allow for a more accurate data collection by the swas in support of the direct administration of the foreign labor certification programs. as of the date of this announcement, state workforce agencies should use the new forms for future h 2a program wage reporting to the office of foreign labor certification. to access the revised forms please click here . with the reopening of the federal government, uscis has been informed that the department of labor's (dol) office of foreign labor certification is once again accepting and processing applications, including temporary labor certifications (tlcs). on oct. 21, 2013, dol issued an announcement to h 2a stakeholders stating that once the tlc is certified, the chicago national processing center will send an email to the employer and its authorized representative containing an adobe pdf of the labor certification. the employer would need to print, sign and date the pdf version for submission to uscis with the form i 129, petition for nonimmigrant worker. uscis usually requires that a petitioner submit the certified tlc on blue security paper with original signatures. beginning today, uscis in consultation with dol, has determined that uscis will temporarily accept form i 129 h 2a petitions that are filed with a copy of the certified tlc. during this temporary accommodation, the signatures on the tlc submitted to uscis do not need to be original. this temporary accommodation is being implemented because of the unique time sensitivities associated with agricultural work. h 2a petitioners must submit the original form i 129 petition, all required fees, and supporting documentation with a copy of the signed, certified tlc. dol has indicated that this accommodation should last no longer than 30 days. uscis will provide further guidance on when this accommodation will expire. at that time, h 2a petitioners will once again be required to submit the signed original of the certified tlc with their h 2a petition. as a result of the unique perishable nature of agricultural commodities in the h 2a program, oflc will temporarily (for a period not to exceed 30 days) implement the following mailing procedure: on july 8, 2013, the national archives and records administration (nara) approved oflc's revised record retention schedule following a 30 day period of public notice and review. during its review and approval process, nara determined employer application files and supporting documentation, whether retained in paper or electronic form, to be temporary records and subject to destruction in accordance with an approved disposition schedule. the oflc approved disposition schedule authorizes retention of records for a period of 5 years following the date a final determination letter is issued, subject to an active investigation or litigation hold. employer applications that are part of an active investigation or pending litigation are exempted from the approved disposition schedule and will be retained until the investigation and/or litigation matters are closed. this approved disposition schedule limits retention of both paper and electronic records to a 5 year period. records retained by the oflc beyond the 5 year period will be destroyed on at least an annual schedule or as determined by the oflc. furthermore, this approved disposition schedule authorizes the destruction of case management systems and software as they become obsolete and are no longer needed to administer the program(s). for example, the paradox database, formerly used by the eta regional offices, and which is no longer needed in the administration of the permanent program, will be destroyed by september 26, 2013. this database contains texts of information related to employer applications filed in 2002 or earlier where the records have been destroyed. the text is called screenshots. as the oflc implements its approved disposition schedule, we will provide notice to the public identifying the records and, where applicable, the associating case management systems and software being destroyed. the records nara identified as permanent records are the annual disclosure data files currently located on the flc data center at http://www.flcdatacenter.com ; as well as the quarterly disclosure data files and the oflc annual reports located on the oflc performance page at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign labor/performance. the oflc ombudsman is pleased to announce a new on line survey intended to encourage stakeholder feedback on their experience with ombudsman program. survey questions are designed to promote the enhancement of customer service and overall satisfaction with the program. the survey is located on both the h 2a and h 2b ombudsman webpages: h 2a ombudsman webpage h 2b ombudsman webpage . on august 30, 2013, the department of labor (department) will publish in the federal register a final rule to delay indefinitely the effective date of the wage methodology for the temporary non agricultural employment h 2b program final rule (2011 wage rule), which was published on january 19, 2011, 76 fr 3452. this final rule is being published in order to comply with recurrent legislation that prohibits the department from using any funds to implement the 2011 wage rule, and also to permit time for consideration of the public comments that were sought in conjunction with a separate h 2b wage interim final rule (ifr) published april 24, 2013, 78 fr 24047. this final rule does not affect the ifr, which establishes the current prevailing wage methodology for the h 2b program; that rule remains in effect. to see the final rule, please click here . the department has published a notice in the federal register announcing a 60 day comment period on its proposed changes to the form eta 9033, attestation by employers using alien crewmembers for longshore activities in u.s. ports and eta 9033a, attestation by employers using alien crewmembers for longshore activities in the state of alaska. to read the notice, please click here . to obtain a copy of the forms with proposed changes and the supporting documentation please submit your request to eta.oflc.forms@dol.gov , subject line: revised form eta 9033. comments to the package must be submitted on or before october 7, 2013. the department of labor (department) is issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking (nprm) to delay indefinitely the effective date of the 2011 h 2b wage rule. the nprm is being published in order to comply with recurrent legislation that prohibits the department from using any funds to implement the 2011 h 2b wage rule, and also to permit time for consideration of the public comments that were sought in conjunction with a separate h 2b wage interim final rule published april 24, 2013, 78 fr 24047. comments are being accepted on the nprm until august 9, 2013. to see the nprm please click here . the department is pleased to announce the implementation of the labor certification registry (lcr) on the office of foreign labor certification's (oflc) icert visa portal system web site. the lcr provides the public with access to appropriately redacted copies of h 1b, h 1b1, e 3, h 2a, h 2b and permanent labor certification documents issued by oflc, as well as quarterly and annual case disclosure data. to learn more about the lcr, please read the department's federal register notice . to access the lcr, please click here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 3 fy 2013 selected statistics as of june 15, 2013, for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis) announced that it will no longer accept prior versions of form g 28 after may 26, 2013. the new version of the form g 28 and its instructions, which were published on march 28, 2013, can be accessed by clicking here . all fields of the form g 28 must be completed and signed by both the client and the attorney or accredited representative. each individual application or petition must be accompanied by a separate, completed and signed form g 28. as announced by uscis on april 25, 2013, uscis has resumed processing of all form i 129, h 2b petitions for temporary non agricultural workers. read the uscis alert . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the quarter 2 fy 2013 selected statistics for the permanent labor certification program , prevailing wage determination program , h 1b temporary visa program , h 2a temporary agricultural visa program , and h 2b temporary non agricultural visa program . the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . as announced by uscis on april 2, 2013, uscis has temporarily suspended adjudication of certain form i 129 h 2b petitions for temporary non agricultural workers. for more complete information, please visit http://go.usa.gov/2urt . effective march 22, u.s. citizenship and immigration services (uscis) is temporarily suspending adjudication of most form i 129 h 2b petitions for temporary non agricultural workers while the government considers appropriate action in response to the court order entered march 21, 2013 in comite de apoyo a los trabajadores agricolas et al v. solis , 2:09 cv 00240 ldd (e.d. pa). that order granted a permanent injunction against the operation of the portion of the department of labor's (dol) 2008 wage rule related to certain prevailing wage determinations and gave dol 30 days to come into compliance with the court order. read the alert . effective march 22, the department is holding in abeyance the issuance of final determinations on most pending h 2b applications for temporary labor certification and those it received after march 22, while it considers appropriate action in response to the court order entered march 21, 2013 in comite de apoyo a los trabajadores agricolas et al v. solis, 2:09 cv 00240 ldd (e.d. pa). that order granted a permanent injunction against the operation of the portion of the 2008 wage rule related to certain prevailing wage determinations and gave the department 30 days to come into compliance with the court order. the department will, however, continue to process and issue final determinations on h 2b applications for temporary labor certification where the employer's wage offer is based upon a prevailing wage not enjoined by the court order: those utilizing applicable collective bargaining agreements, acceptable private wage surveys or service contract act or davis bacon act wage determinations. the department intends to promulgate a revised wage rule within 30 days of the date of the court order. this will allow the department to resume providing employers with both prevailing wage determinations and final determinations on their h 2b applications for temporary labor certification. we encourage stakeholders to sign up to receive e mail updates through the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) web site. instructions for signing up for e mail updates are provided below. the department of labor has published a notice in the federal register delaying the effective date of the wage methodology for the temporary non agricultural employment h 2b program final rule (2011 wage final rule), which was published on january 19, 2011, 76 fr 3452. in light of the enactment of the consolidated and further continuing appropriations act, 2013, pub. l. 113 6, which establishes the department's appropriations through september 30, 2013, and also continues the prohibition of the expenditure of the department's appropriated funds to implement, administer, and enforce the 2011 wage final rule, the department is delaying the effective date of the 2011 wage final rule. to read the final rule please click here . the department has published in the federal register a notice correcting certain prevailing wage rates established by the january 8, 2013 notice for h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment engaged in the open range production of livestock in texas, wyoming, idaho, montana, north dakota, south dakota, and oklahoma. in addition, this notice rescinds prevailing wage rates established by the january 8, 2013 notice for h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment engaged in sheepherding and goatherding occupations in arizona, nevada, oregon and washington. in the absence of the january 8 prevailing wage rates for sheepherding and goatherding, the department is reverting to previously established prevailing wage rates for these occupations. to learn more, please read the federal register notice . effective march 22, the department is holding in abeyance most pending h 2b prevailing wage requests and those it received after march 22, while it considers appropriate action in response to the court order entered march 21, 2013 in comite de apoyo a los trabajadores agricolas et al v. solis, 2:09 cv 00240 ldd (e.d. pa). that order granted a permanent injunction against the operation of the portion of the 2008 wage rule related to prevailing wage determinations and gave the department 30 days to come into compliance with the court order. the result is that the department can no longer make prevailing wage determinations based on the occupational employment statistics (oes) survey four tier wage system. the department will, however, continue to process prevailing wage requests not enjoined by the court order: those utilizing applicable collective bargaining agreements, acceptable private wage surveys or service contract act or davis bacon act wage determinations. the department intends to comply with the court order within 30 days by promulgating a revised wage rule. this will allow the department to resume providing employers with prevailing wage determinations. we encourage stakeholders to sign up to receive e mail updates through the department's office of foreign labor certification (oflc) web site. instructions for signing up for e mail updates are provided below. the department has published in the federal register a notice establishing the 2013 allowable meal charges and maximum travel subsistence reimbursement amounts. the 2013 allowable charge for providing three meals a day is set at $11.42 per day, although employers may petition the chicago national processing center for a higher charge if justified by documentation of actual costs. similarly, the 2013 minimum subsistence charge for meals during travel is set at $11.42 a day. the maximum travel subsistence for meals will remain set at $46.00 per day again this year for those workers who submit receipts substantiating a higher expense. workers may claim up to $34.50 with receipts for travel subsistence when traveling less than a full day. the new 2013 amounts are effective upon publication in the federal register. to learn more, please read the federal register notice . the department expects to publish within a week a notice in the federal register establishing the 2013 allowable meal charges and maximum travel subsistence reimbursement amounts. the new 2013 amounts will become effective upon publication in the federal register, which the department will announce on this website. the department of labor has posted new faqs for the h 2a program. topics include custom combine activities, housing inspections, filing an application, rates of pay, reimbursable costs, surety bonds, and recruitment. these faqs are available here and on the faqs page of the oflc website under the h 2a heading. the department of labor has posted new faqs for the h 2a program. topics include signatures, job preferences, and fees. these faqs are available here and on the faqs page of the oflc website under the h 2a heading. on january 8, 2013, the department published a notice in the federal register establishing new 2013 prevailing wage rates for certain occupations processed under h 2a special procedures, including for sheepherding/goatherding and open range production of livestock occupations which became effective immediately. see, 78 fr 1260 (jan. 8, 2013). the department is hereby updating prevailing wage rates for these occupations that must be offered and paid in certain states effective as of january 8, 2013. to access these prevailing wage rates please click here . the department has published a notice in the federal register announcing new adverse effect wage rates (aewrs) for each state based on the farm labor survey conducted by the u.s. department of agriculture. the aewrs are the minimum hourly wage rates the department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to h 2a workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular agricultural job and area so that the wages of similarly employed u.s. workers will not be adversely affected. to read the federal register notice please click here . important note: the department will publish a separate federal register notice to announce the allowable charges for 2013 that employers seeking h 2a workers may charge for meals as well as the maximum travel subsistence reimbursement that a worker can claim. until that federal register notice is published, employers should continue to use the current meal charges and maximum travel subsistence which may be accessed here . the department has published a notice in the federal register establishing new prevailing wage rates for certain occupations processed under h 2a special procedures. the wage rates established by this federal register notice apply only to the following activities: open range production of livestock, itinerant animal shearing, sheepherding and goatherding, and custom combine operations. to read the federal register notice please click here . the 2011 annual report presents information on the prevailing wage determination process, permanent labor certification and temporary nonimmigrant labor certification for fy 2011. the report also contains state employment based labor certification profiles, information on stem related occupations in the labor certification programs, h 2a agricultural certification statistics, and country employment based immigration profiles. click the here to view the annual report. the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 4 of fy 2012 are now available in csv format. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. historical oflc program disclosure files for prior fiscal years prior to 2008 are available on our foreign labor certification data center website at www.flcdatacenter.com . the department, in anticipation of the enactment of h.j.res 117, which prohibits the department from expending funds to implement the 2011 h 2b wage rule for the duration of that continuing resolution, will publish in the federal register a final rule extending the effective date of the 2011 wage rule to march 27, 2013. the final rule is posted on the federal register's web site september 28, 2012 and it is accessible here . the office of foreign labor certification has posted updated program factsheets containing the fy 2012 selected statistics for the: the program information included in the factsheets is for the 2012 fiscal year to date (september 16, 2012). the updated program factsheets may also be found on oflc's performance data page . the department has made available for public inspection a federal register notice formally announcing the implementation of electronic filing in the h 2a and h 2b visa programs through the department's icert visa portal system. as indicated in the notice, electronic filing in the h 2b program will begin on october 15, 2012 . electronic filing in the h 2a program will begin on december 10, 2012 . in advance of these implementation dates, the department will conduct four webinar training sessions to orient the public to electronic filing in the h 2a and h 2b programs. to read the federal register notice please click here . to learn more about the implementation of electronic filing, including how to participate in the upcoming webinar training sessions, please click here . the department is announcing the implementation of electronic filing in the h 2a and h 2b visa programs through the department's icert visa portal system. we believe this new electronic filing capability will enhance the accessibility and quality of labor certification services, reduce the data collection and reporting burden on small employers, facilitate more streamlined business processes, and establish greater transparency in the department's decisions. electronic filing in the h 2b program will begin on october 15, 2012 . electronic filing in the h 2a program will begin on december 10, 2012 . in advance of these implementation dates, the department will publish a federal register notice formally announcing implementation of electronic filing, and then conduct four webinar training sessions to orient the public to electronic filing in the h 2a and h 2b programs. to learn more about the implementation of electronic filing, including how to participate in the upcoming webinar training sessions, please click here . the oflc perm, h 2a, h 2b, prevailing wage, and h 1b program disclosure data files for quarter 3 of fy 2012 are now available in csv format. click here to access the disclosure files and corresponding record layouts. historical oflc program disclosure files for prior fiscal years are available on our foreign labor certification data center website at www.flcdatacenter.com . a federal register notice was published today soliciting comment from the public regarding the merger of two information collection requests (icr) and the creation of two additional icrs. omb control number 1205 0466 contains eta form 9141, application for prevailing wage determination , and eta form 9142, application for temporary employment certification . these forms are set to expire on october 31, 2012. omb control number 1205 0404 contains the h 2a certification letter. this information collection is also set to expire on october 31, 2012. the department is proposing to separate out the three different icrs that were formerly all contained in 1205 0466 as well as discontinue 1205 0404 by merging it into the new 1205 0466. obtain a copy of the notice here . comments are due by october 15, 2012. the chicago national processing center (cnpc) has a new address. beginning on august 2, 2012, please direct your hard copy filings for the d 1, h 2a and h 2b programs to the cnpc's new addresses provided below. please note that the cnpc move does not affect the electronic filing of lcas but any employer with permission to file by hard copy should direct its lca filing(s) to the new address. please also remember to direct your payments of h 2a labor certification fees to the new p.o. box address (also listed below). for application filings: u.s. department of labor employment and training administration office of foreign labor certification chicago national processing center 11 west quincy court chicago, il 60604 2105 p.o. box address for the receipt of h 2a related filing fees: u.s. department of labor employment and training administration office of foreign labor certification chicago national processing center po box a3804 chicago, il 60690 3804 archive an agency within the u.s. department of labor 200 constitution ave nw washington, dc 20210 1 877 us 2jobs 1 877 872 5627 www.dol.gov connect with dol

my account new uefa c licence courses are now available. scroll down for more information. we will notify you when we have any updates for you. course type: duration: minimum age: price: we are pleased to confirm that our funding eligibility form for uefa c licence courses is now open. we recommend you complete this form if you’re currently coaching at a grassroots affiliated club, as you may be entitled to a discount. you will be required to provide your clubs national club id number so please make sure you have this to hand. unfortunately, our partially funded places programme has now reached its capacity for uefa c licence courses in the 2024/25 season. if you would like to be considered for a partially funded place, this programme will restart in the 2025/26 season, so please keep checking back for updates. remember, you must have completed our introduction to coaching football course or the fa level 1 in coaching football to access and complete this funding eligibility form. to get started and check your eligibility, please use the form below. funding eligibility form the funding eligibility form will be open from monday 3 february 2025 and will close on monday 17 february 2025. completing this form is optional and will not affect your ability to enrol on any uefa c licence course. we will inform all learners who complete this form whether they have been awarded funding in march 2025. please do not book a place on uefa c before hearing the outcome of your funding eligibility as we are unable to offer discounts retrospectively. all discounts must be applied to your fan prior to purchase. any courses purchased prior will result in discounts being void. enrolment changes for the 2024/25 season more places available   you will have access to twice the number of uefa c licence places, giving you a greater chance of securing a place. book in any location   you now have the flexibility to book any course in any location across england. ongoing release of courses during the season   we intend to release courses gradually on the england football learning website during the season, rather than releasing courses in bulk on specific dates like last season. where courses/areas sell out, we will aim to release further courses in a timely manner. the first set of courses will be open for booking from august 2024 and further courses will be released during the season. we recommend you keep checking the website for the latest courses as we will not be promoting new courses when they get released. no more applications   you no longer need to submit a course application. you can book directly onto any course of your choice through the new open booking process via the england football learning website. new price   the price of uefa c licence is now £650. however, you will still be able to access a discount if you currently coach at a grassroots affiliated club. this will reduce the price to £550. new partially funded places programme   our previous fully funded places scheme has been replaced with a partially funded scheme. if you’re eligible, you’ll only need to pay 15% towards the cost of the course and england football learning will pay the remaining 85%. new funding eligibility form   to apply for a partially funded place or a grassroots affiliated discount on the uefa c licence in the 24/25 season you will need to complete our new funding eligibility form. this will be available through our website on the uefa c licence course page. the funding eligibility form will open for two weeks at the beginning of every month during the first part of the season. this means you’ll have multiple opportunities to check if you’re eligible for a discount on the uefa c licence course in the coming season. all coaches who are eligible for a discount will be contacted at the end of each month. for more information on our funding eligibility form or any of the other updates please see our faqs here. you can view our uefa c licence course policy here. we’re hoping these changes will improve the process and allow more coaches to secure a place on the uefa c licence in 2024 25. we are expecting demand to be high which will likely put pressure on our booking system. if you experience any system issues, please be patient whilst we work to resolve them. we will make sure enrolment is back available as quickly as possible. delivered through a blend of virtual and face to face learning, our expert coach developers will guide you through the uefa c licence, supporting you as you tailor it to your players. the course will provide you with practical resources and signpost you to future learning to help you continue to develop as a coach. the course will last for approximately 16 20 weeks, supporting the principles of spaced learning and giving you the opportunity to reflect and practice what you’ve learnt in real time. this course has replaced the fa level 2 in coaching football. to request a reasonable adjustment on this course, please follow this link. download a copy of our reasonable adjustments policy. as places on this course are extremely limited, you must meet the following criteria to enrol: you must be actively coaching a group of players who regularly undertake training and play in organised or competitive fixtures. this is crucial, so you can be assessed on the key elements of the course and be eligible to complete the qualification you have completed introduction to coaching football or the fa level 1 in coaching football you have valid introduction to first aid in football (previously known as fa emergency aid) and safeguarding children course (previously known as safeguarding children workshop) qualifications you must be living in england and actively coaching a team in a season long competition, as our coach developers may be required to travel to visit you during the course. you will attend six face to face course days as part of the uefa c licence, developing your skills as a coach and building knowledge that you can apply to your role. the delivery days are split into three modules, each lasting two days: there is an expectation that coaches will participate as players in practical sessions. between course days, you will be supported with virtual peer and individual sessions with our coach developers ensuring effective progression and action planning. we are pleased to confirm that uefa c licence courses in the 2024/25 season are now available. all courses which are currently available are listed below and we’ll be regularly releasing new courses in the weeks ahead, so please rest assured more options are coming soon if these do not work for you. we’re expecting demand to be high and places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. we recommend you book your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. important: please make sure you can attend all dates of the course you choose to book as we cannot transfer you between different courses. all courses run from 09:00   17:00 during face to face learning days. available uefa c licence 2024/25 courses are listed below. all listings will be refreshed in january 2025, please keep checking back for updates if any courses appear unavailable. north west courses all courses in this region are currently sold out. we will be releasing more dates in the near future, so please keep checking for updates. north east courses venue: eco power stadium, stadium way, doncaster, dn4 5jw broadcast date: 19:00 monday 12 may 2025 module one dates: saturday 24 may 2025   sunday 25 may 2025 module two dates: saturday 21 june 2025   sunday 22 june 2025 module three dates: saturday 19 july 2025   sunday 20 july 2025 book now east courses venue: aveley fc, parkside, park lane, aveley, essex broadcast date: 19:00 sunday 1 may 2025 module one dates: thursday 8 may 2025   friday 9 may 2025 module two dates: thursday 12 june 2025   friday 13 june 2025 module three dates: thursday 24 july 2025   friday 25 july 2025 book now venue: the nest norwich city fc, holt road, horsford, norwich broadcast date: 19:00 tuesday 13 may 2025 module one dates: thursday 29 may 2025   friday 30 may 2025 module two dates: thursday 3 july 2025   friday 4 july 2025 module three dates: thursday 14 august 2025   friday 15 august 2025 book now west midlands courses venue: wolverhampton college, wellington road campus, bilston, wolverhampton, wv14 6bt broadcast date: 18:00 sunday 22 may 2025 module one dates: saturday 31 may 2025   sunday 1 june 2025 module two dates: saturday 12 july 2025   sunday 13 july 2025 module three dates: saturday 23 august 2025   sunday 24 august 2025 book now venue: university of birmingham, sports and fitness, bristol rd, b15 2tt broadcast date: 19:00 sunday 27 june 2025 module one dates: saturday 5 july 2025   sunday 6 july 2025 module two dates: saturday 2 august 2025   sunday 3 august 2025 module three dates: saturday 6 september 2025   sunday 7 september 2025 book now east midlands courses venue: mansfield rh academy, woburn ln, pleasley, mansfield, ng19 7rt broadcast date: 19:00 wednesday 12 february 2025 module one dates: saturday 22 february 2025   sunday 23 february 2025 module two dates: saturday 5 march 2025   sunday 6 april 2025 module three dates: saturday 17 may 2025   sunday 18 may 2025 book now venue: racecourse playing fields, st mark's road, derby, de21 6al broadcast date: 19:00 friday 30 may 2025 module one dates: saturday 7 june 2025   sunday 8 june 2025 module two dates: saturday 12 july 2025   sunday 13 july 2025 module three dates: saturday 16 august 2025   sunday 17 august 2025 book now venue: moulton college, west street, moulton, northamptonshire, nn3 7rr broadcast date: 18:00 thursday 6 march 2025 module one dates: saturday 15 march 2025   sunday 16 march 2025 module two dates: saturday 26 april 2025   sunday 27 april 2025 module three dates: saturday 7 june 2025   sunday 8 june 2025 book now london courses venue: silver jubilee park, townsend ln, london broadcast date: 19:00 tuesday 6 may 2025 module one dates: monday 12 may 2025   tuesday 13 may 2025 module two dates: monday 9 june 2025   tuesday 10 june 2025 module three dates: monday 1 september 2025   tuesday 2 september 2025 book now venue: douglas eyre sports centre 148 coppermill lane, walthamstow broadcast date: 18:30 monday 12 may 2025 module one dates: monday 19 may 2025   tuesday 20 may 2025 module two dates: monday 30 june 2025   tuesday 1 july 2025 module three dates: monday 11 august 2025   tuesday 12 august 2025 book now venue: middlesex fa, rectory park, ruislip rd, northolt broadcast date: 19:00 thursday 12 june 2025 module one dates: saturday 21 june 2025   sunday 22 june 2025 module two dates: saturday 2 august 2025   sunday 3 august 2025 module three dates: saturday 6 september 2025   sunday 7 september 2025 book now south east courses venue: university of southampton sports ground, wide lane, eastleigh broadcast date: 19:00 monday 14 april 2025 module one dates: saturday 26 april 2025   sunday 27 april 2025 module two dates: saturday 7 june 2025   sunday 8 june 2025 module three dates: saturday 19 july 2025   sunday 20 july 2025 book now south west courses venue: camborne college   cornwall, trevenson rd, pool, redruth, tr15 3gf broadcast date: 19:30 tuesday 25 march 2025 module one dates: saturday 5 april   sunday 6 april module two dates: saturday 17 may   sunday 18 may module three dates: saturday 21 june   sunday 22 june book now venue: potterne park, potterne way, verwood broadcast date: 19:00 wednesday 23 april 2025 module one dates: saturday 3 may 2025   sunday 4 may 2025 module two dates: saturday 7 june 2025   sunday 8 june 2025 module three dates: saturday 26 july   sunday 27 july 2025 book now venue: strode college, church road, street, somerset broadcast date: 18:00 wednesday 30 april 2025 module one dates: saturday 10 may 2025   saturday 11 may 2025 module two dates: saturday 21 june 2025   sunday 22 june 2025 module three dates: saturday 2 august 2025   sunday 3 august 2025 book now venue: devon fa, coach rd, newton abbot broadcast date: 19:00 thursday 22 may 2025 module one dates: saturday 31 may 2025   sunday 1 june 2025 module two dates: saturday 5 july 2025   sunday 6 july 2025 module three dates: saturday 16 august 2025   sunday 17 august 2025 book now venue: wiltshire fa green lane playing fields, green ln, devizes broadcast date: 18:00 thursday 29 may 2025 module one dates: saturday 7 june 2025   sunday 8 june 2025 module two dates: saturday 5 july 2025   sunday 6 july 2025 module three dates: saturday 16 august 2025   sunday 17 august 2025 book now frequently asked questions you can check to see if you have a fan already here. if you cannot find that you have a fan on the above link, you can create a new fan here. you will need to login using the email address that is on your fan and the associated password. if you don’t know which email address you have registered to your fan, you can click on ‘sign in using fan’ or ‘forgotten email?’ where you can either sign in using your fan or enter some details to find your registered email address. if you don’t know your password, click here and click on ‘forgotten password’ and follow the instructions to reset it. for more support on this course, visit the help centre.

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we look forward to sharing the incredible feeling that only baseball at wrigley field can deliver. we remain committed to providing a safe, clean and friendly environment for you to enjoy cubs baseball. the following information is provided for convenience and ease of use. it is not intended to be a complete statement of the rules and regulations of wrigley field. chicago cubs reserve the right to change or modify these rules at our discretion. nothing in this document should be construed as a contract between the chicago cubs and any other party. all guests must comply with the guest code of conduct. any guest who does not may be subject to removal from wrigley field without refund and revocation of season tickets and/or future ticket privileges and may also be in violation of city or state rules, regulations or ordinances, resulting in possible arrest and prosecution. the cubs and wrigley field reserve the right to determine what unruly or unacceptable behavior is and to take any and all actions permitted by applicable law. the restoration and expansion of wrigley field, known as the 1060 project, is complete. this multi year upgrade ensured the viability of the ballpark for future generations of cubs fans, while preserving the beauty, charm and historic features fans have come to know and love. the 1060 project, which started at the conclusion of the 2014 baseball season, included structural upgrades, improved player facilities, fan amenities, outfield signage, two outfield video boards, premier clubs, upper level outdoor concourse, expanded concessions, improved restroom facilities, enhanced connectivity and wi fi and more. support cubs charities’ mission to mobilize the power of sport to champion youth, families and communities by participating in the cubs charities 50/50 raffle. for all cubs home games during the 2024 regular season, fans in illinois can purchase raffle tickets online starting at 10 a.m. cdt until the end of that day’s game or from a raffle ambassador at wrigley field when gates open until the bottom of the eighth inning. the winner will receive half of the jackpot total from the game's raffle ticket sales and the other half will benefit cubs charities. in accordance with state and local law, tickets for the cubs charities 50/50 raffle will only be available for purchase in the state of illinois. the winning ticket number and jackpot total will be posted on cubs.com/raffle at the conclusion of the game. raffle winners have 30 days to claim the prize and a check will be mailed within 60 days of the claimed prize. to view the official rules, visit cubs.com/raffle. for more information, please call fan services at 773 388 8270 or email [email protected]. the chicago cubs (the "cubs" or the "club") want all fans to have an enjoyable experience while attending a game at historic wrigley field. the club is committed to making major league baseball games at wrigley field accessible to all fans. click here to view the complete accessibility guide. the address for wrigley field and the chicago cubs is: 1060 w. addison st., chicago, il 60613. all correspondence can be mailed to this address. the cubs front office is located at 1101 w. waveland ave., chicago, il 60613. alcoholic beverages will not be sold after the last out of the eighth inning during day games and the last out of the seventh inning or 10:30 p.m. for night games. guests who appear to be under age 35 are required to show a valid photo id indicating legal proof of age when purchasing alcohol at wrigley field. the cubs reserve the right to deny entry to wrigley field to any individual who appears intoxicated. the cubs and levy reserve the right to deny beverage services to any customer who appears intoxicated. animals, except for service animals as defined by federal law, are not permitted on wrigley field property. please refer to the accessibility guide for more information regarding service animals. please refer to the fan services section for more information. please refer to the accessibility guide for more information. wintrust automated teller machines are available throughout wrigley field. locations include: inside the marquee gate, gallagher way gate, left field gate and wintrust right field gate; on all ramps from the main concourse to the upper level; and in the budweiser bleachers near the stairwells and on the ramp. wrigley field is cashless for all purchases. payment can include a credit card, debit card or mobile wallet. reverse atms are available for fans to convert cash to a card that can be used for purchases at wrigley field and elsewhere. reverse atms are located inside the marquee gate, at section 217 and in the budweiser bleachers on the ramp. baby changing stations are available throughout wrigley field in most restroom facilities and in the advocate health care first aid station. first aid is located behind home plate on the main concourse on the first base side of the marquee gate. the cubs do not offer large bag or luggage storage, so please plan accordingly. banners, signs and flags are permitted in wrigley field when the following guidelines are followed to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all fans: batting practice schedules and times vary before each home game and are at the discretion of either team. for most games, gates will open 90 minutes prior to first pitch. gates will open two hours before first pitch for opening day, saturday games and special occasions, unless otherwise specified. the cubs offer a free bike valet service for cubs home games in the alley just east of the main entrance to the cta red line stop on addison street. the courtesy valet opens three hours prior to the regular season game's scheduled start time and closes one hour after the game ends. fans are allowed to bring bicycle helmets into the park to be stored under their seat. in addition to bikes, personal motorized scooters (i.e., electric scooters) can be checked at the cubs’ bike valet service. please refer to the video board messages section for information. factory sealed plastic bottles as well as a personal amount of food (in a small, disposable bag) can be brought into the ballpark. no glass bottles, cans, alcoholic beverages, thermoses or hard sided coolers of any kind may be brought into wrigley field. please see the prohibited items section for a list of prohibited items. in honor of legendary hall of fame cubs broadcaster jack brickhouse (1916 98), his famous phrase, "hey hey," is now affixed to both foul poles. jack brickhouse was the cubs broadcaster from 1948 81. the budweiser bleacher gate is located at the corner of waveland and sheffield avenues. ticket holders must have tickets in the budweiser bleachers to enter the ballpark via the budweiser bleacher gate. please note, budweiser bleacher seating is general admission and available on a first come, first served basis. early arrival is suggested for better seat selection. sections 501 502 are designated as the budweiser good sport section for new and seasoned fans who enjoy sitting in the budweiser bleachers but prefer a more casual vibe to watch the game. group charter and coach buses will be asked to unload and pick up guests on irving park road, just east of clark street. pace buses will be asked to stage on clark street between waveland avenue and grace street. cta buses will continue to provide service on addison street and clark street from the same locations as in prior years. the free shuttle service for the cubs’ remote parking lot drops and picks up fans on irving park road between clark street and seminary avenue. please see the remote parking lot and shuttle section for details. visitors are welcome to bring video and still cameras into the ballpark as long as they are not professional grade   this includes extended and removable lenses and camera attachments like microphones. tripods are not allowed in wrigley field. recordings may be used for personal viewing only. any other use, distribution or commercial use is prohibited. fans may not distribute any copyrighted game information without permission of the chicago cubs. from retail and concessions to in seat vending and tickets for the cubs charities 50/50 raffle, all purchases are cashless. payment can include a credit card, debit card, apple pay or mobile wallet. reverse atms are available for fans to convert cash to a card that can be used for purchases at wrigley field and elsewhere. reverse atms are located at section 117, section 217 and in the budweiser bleachers on the ramp. fans can see and enjoy the 2016 world series championship trophy in the cd peacock trophy room, located inside the marquee gate entrance, adjacent to the cd peacock premier entrance lobby. the cd peacock trophy room will be open to fans on gamedays. fans can find charging stations in the left field and right field bleacher concourses and on the ramp across from the addison street grill and ballpark entrance for sections 123 125 and 223 225 (by pole 47) in the concourse. the cubs strive to make a positive difference in our community. we welcome any request for charitable donations. all requests can be made online at cubs.com/donations. the requesting organization must be a nonprofit 501(3)(c) entity, and the information requested must include details about the event, its purpose and date. please allow six weeks for processing. fans age 2 and under are admitted to regular season cubs games without a ticket, provided they are seated on the lap of a parent or guardian. for the safety of our youngest fans, the cubs offer identification wristbands for children to wear with their parent/guardian's contact information and seat location for the game. these wristbands will help reunite lost children with their parent/guardian. wristbands are available at both fan services locations. clark the cub is the official team mascot. clark serves as a champion for cubs kids programs and cubs charities' mission. for more information on clark or cubs kids programs, visit cubs.com/kids. closed captioning will be available for every game. please refer to the accessibility guide for more information. in conjunction with the office of the commissioner of baseball, the chicago cubs are committed to keeping wrigley field a safe, comfortable and enjoyable environment for all guests. to help maintain an enjoyable environment, the following guidelines have been established. out of respect for other guests and wrigley field associates, all guests will: prohibited actions on cubs’ property include, but is not limited to, the following: all guests must comply with the guest code of conduct. any guest who does not may be subject to removal from wrigley field without refund and revocation of season tickets and/or future ticket privileges and may also be in violation of city or state rules, regulations or ordinances, resulting in possible arrest and prosecution. the cubs and wrigley field reserve the right to determine what unruly or unacceptable behavior is and to take any and all actions permitted by applicable law. fans wanting a special memento of their visit to the friendly confines can purchase commemorative tickets through the mlb ballpark app to help commemorate their experience at wrigley field. tickets will be printed and mailed as ordered and will not provide entry into the ballpark. for more information, visit cubs.com/commemorativetickets. all food and beverage orders can be placed through the mlb ballpark app or a scanned qr code. in seat vending also is available. all transactions are cashless. for the most up to date list of all your food and beverage choices and locations, visit the concessions guide in the mlb ballpark app. costumes are allowed in wrigley field, as long as the fan's face is not covered. the chicago cubs reserve the right to refuse entry and refund the ticket price of any individual in a costume if it is deemed inappropriate. american express, mastercard, discover, visa and apple pay are accepted at all concessions and the cubs team stores. public transportation is the recommended way to get to wrigley field. cta bus #152 (addison) and cta bus #22 (clark) both stop at the intersection of clark and addison streets. the cta red line stops directly at the wrigley field addison station. for more details, call the cta hotline at 773 836 7000 or visit transitchicago.com. for information about mlb authenticated game used and autographed memorabilia, email [email protected] or call 773 404 4753. the cubs authentics store, located on the main concourse behind home plate, is open during home games. wrigley field is a cashless venue and cubs dollars are no longer available. fans who previously purchased cubs dollars may redeem them at the wrigley field ticket office located on clark street. the chicago cubs hall of fame was unveiled in 2021 and now includes 62 plaques which represent individuals who dedicated their time to cubs baseball, both on and off the field. baseball legends, former players and managers, beloved broadcasters and announcers, team owners and front office executives will grace the walls of the chicago cubs hall of fame, immortalized in historic wrigley field for decades to come. the chicago cubs hall of fame is located in the left field budweiser bleacher concourse. to learn more and find the locations of our statues that include some of the members of the chicago cubs hall of fame, visit statues. the anheuser busch decide to ride designated driver program encourages guests to pledge not to consume alcohol during their visit to wrigley field. guests who are at least 21 years old, have a valid driver's license and are not consuming alcohol at the ballpark can sign up at the fan services booth, located behind home plate on the main concourse, during any home game. fans who participate will receive a voucher for a free regular size fountain soft drink, valid at the marquee classics concession stand located near section 117. please visit cubs.com/transportation for detailed information. the chicago cubs dugout is on the third base side. the visitors' dugout is on the first base side. fans are welcome to contact us at [email protected]. to reach a fan for emergency purposes, please go to the fan services booth on the main concourse behind home plate or call fan services at 800 the cubs. to facilitate communication in case of an urgent request, please make sure your friends and family know your seat location. the chicago cubs are always looking for friendly, service oriented fans to join our gameday team. the majority of jobs are part time, with work shifts based on our game schedule. interested parties can visit cubs.com/jobs. for your safety, wrigley field requires all guests, staff and media to be screened prior to entry. using our touchless screening process, guests do not have to remove items such as mobile phones, wallets and keys before passing through the metal detector. following the screening process, guests must scan their mobile tickets at one of our self scanning ticket pedestals. bag restrictions are in place for the 2024 season. backpacks (including clear backpacks), hard sided coolers (regardless of size) and bags larger than 16 x 16 x 8 inches are not permitted at wrigley field. other bags (such as wallets, purses, drawstring bags, fanny packs, lunch bags, briefcases and soft sided coolers) smaller than 16 x 16 x 8 inches in size are permitted. exceptions will be made for medical bags and diaper bags that accompany guests with young children. bags are subject to inspection. please see the prohibited items section for a list of prohibited items. designated parking spots are available at the toyota camry lot for any expecting mother who wishes to utilize the service. for more information, please visit the accessible parking section on our wrigley field accessibility guide. for assistance during the game, fans can text 773 839 0282 with the keyword "friendly" and a description of your seat location and issue, and we will respond to your request as soon as possible. standard message and data rates may apply. fans needing assistance also may call the fan services hotline at 773 388 8270 or use the automated, 24 hour response system listed as "ask fan services" in the mlb ballpark app. letters to cubs players should be addressed to each player individually and sent to wrigley field at 1060 w. addison st., chicago, il 60613. if a response is desired, please enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope. please keep in mind the players receive large quantities of mail and a response may not always be possible. the volume of mail also prohibits the tracking of letters and packages. do not send anything large or of value to the cubs player as we cannot guarantee the item will be returned. for questions, comments or assistance, fans may email [email protected] or call 800 the cubs. the fan services team is available monday through friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ct with extended hours for night and weekend home games. during home games, fans also may visit a fan services booth. fans also have access to an automated, 24 hour response system listed as "ask fan services" in the mlb ballpark app via their mobile device. this real time resource provides fans with answers to questions on resources and amenities available at the ballpark, ticketing and more. check out the "ask fan services" tool in the in "cubs" tab of the mlb ballpark app. visit cubs.com/ballparkapp for additional information. if anyone is interfering with your enjoyment of wrigley field, please contact the nearest wrigley field associate for assistance or text us at 773 839 0282 with the keyword "friendly" and a description of your seat location and issue. standard message and data rates may apply. we will respond to your request as soon as possible. the fan services booth is located on the main concourse directly behind home plate and in the budweiser bleachers by the budweiser bleacher gate. services provided include answers to fan questions, ballpark food locations, information about events at wrigley field, directions and transit information. for the safety of our youngest fans, the cubs offer identification wristbands for children to wear with their parent/guardian's contact information and seat location for the game. these wristbands will help reunite lost children with their parent/guardian. wristbands are available at both fan services locations. the field is a restricted area. entering the field of play is a felony. offenders will be arrested and charged by the chicago police department. the advocate health care first aid station is located behind home plate on the main concourse. signage identifies this area. a physician and registered nurse and emergency medical technicians are on hand for all games. automated external defibrillator (aed) machines are located throughout the ballpark, including in first aid. first aid also includes a restroom and dedicated nursing mother’s room. remember your first trip to wrigley field with a personalized first timer's certificate. first timer's certificates are available at the first timer’s location inside the gallagher way gate on the main concourse. fans are permitted to keep foul balls and home run balls hit into occupied seating areas as souvenirs. however, fans must not enter the playing area to retrieve balls or otherwise interfere with balls still in play. all fans, especially those sitting along the foul lines in the box seats, are cautioned to stay alert for hard hit balls or bats that might leave the field of play. fans must practice physical distancing and keep a safe space between themselves and others. ticket holders assume all risks and dangers incidental to the game of baseball, whether occurring prior to, during, or subsequent to the actual playing of the game including (but not exclusively) the danger of being injured by or in connection with any thrown or batted ball. the chicago cubs are not liable for resulting injuries. the chicago cubs cannot be held responsible for the conduct of other guests when attempting to obtain a foul or home run ball. the pinstriped flags atop the left  and right field foul poles represent the retired uniform numbers worn by six of the greatest cubs. in 2017, the cubs added a "robinson 42" flag on the right field foul pole to honor jackie robinson's legacy. to honor legendary cubs broadcaster jack brickhouse (1916 98), his famous phrase "hey hey" also is affixed on both foul poles. gallagher way is the open air space located adjacent to wrigley field on clark street. learn more at gallagherway.com. please note ticket holders may access gallagher way before, during and after their ticketed game. during games, guests may exit through gallagher way gate to access gallagher way beginning during the first inning with re entry closing at the bottom of the eighth inning. guests are not permitted to take alcohol between gallagher way and wrigley field. for most games, gates will open 90 minutes prior to first pitch. gates will open two hours before first pitch for opening day, saturday games and special occasions, unless otherwise specified. each mobile ticket includes an assigned entry gate to assist with the entry and exit process. visit cubs.com/gates to view wrigley field gate locations. several merchandise stores and kiosks are available throughout the ballpark. the grass playing field is a sports blend of kentucky blue grass and rye. private spaces for groups of eight or more are available on the suite level and in the hornitos hacienda and budweiser patio. visit cubs.com/groups or contact a cubs representative at 773 404 4200 for more information on how to join the waiting list for the opportunity to purchase a private space for your group. for more information on kids sundays, including kids run the bases, or cubs kids programs, please visit cubs.com/kids. laser pointers can be dangerous to players, spectators and even passing airplanes. the use of laser pointers is prohibited in wrigley field. offenders are subject to immediate ejection and possible prosecution. the first night game played under the lights took place august 8, 1988, against philadelphia, but was rained out after 3 1/2 innings. the first official night game occurred august 9, 1988, against new york when the cubs defeated the mets. the wrigley field light fixtures, first installed back in 1988, were replaced in 2022 with new energy efficient led light fixtures. new in 2024, exterior accent lighting has been installed on our green vertical columns around the ballpark, while tower lighting has been installed in our ballpark field lights towers on top of wrigley field. the exterior accent lighting and tower lighting will also be energy efficient led. any items lost or found within wrigley field should be brought to the attention of a uniformed wrigley field associate or can be turned in to the fan services booth during the game. lost and found also may be contacted at 800 the cubs from 9 a.m. through the eighth inning on gamedays and monday to friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non gamedays. please remember game tickets are like money and should be secured like cash. to help prevent the unintended or fraudulent resale of your ticket(s), refrain from sharing images that reveal your ticket's unique barcode letters and numbers. please note, if you do share your barcodes, the cubs will not be responsible for resulting use by third parties. to contact the chicago cubs media relations department, please email [email protected] or call 773 404 4191. cubs tickets are available exclusively as mobile tickets via the mlb ballpark app. the mlb ballpark app provides a convenient, secure way for fans to use and share cubs tickets, allowing for easy ticket management and entry into games at wrigley field using a mobile device. it also helps prevent lost or stolen tickets and provides up to date game time information. learn more at cubs.com/ballparkapp. fans can use the mlb ballpark app to place a mobile order for food and beverages, providing fans with a convenient and safe way to enjoy ballpark fare at wrigley field. see the mobile ordering section for more information. fans can order food and beverages on their phones via the mlb ballpark app or online via a scanned qr code. to purchase concessions via the mlb ballpark app open the app and click on the “order at concession stand” icon. enter your seat location and select your concession stand of choice from the main menu. add the food or beverage items you would like to purchase to your cart. confirm your order and check out using your preferred form of payment. after completing your order, proceed to the concession stand through which you placed your order and head to the “mobile ordering” line. present your qr code to the cashier and scan. if you ordered an alcoholic beverage, you will need to present a government issued id to the cashier. for quality control purposes and your convenience, your order will be prepared once your qr code is scanned. to purchase concessions via a qr code scan the qr code located at your seat location. once scanned, you’ll be presented with concession stand options located closest to you. select your concession stand of choice from the main menu and add the food or beverage items you would like to purchase to your cart. confirm your order and check out using your preferred form of payment. after completing your order, proceed to the concession stand through which you placed your order and head to the “mobile ordering” line. present your qr code to the cashier and scan. if you ordered an alcoholic beverage, you will need to present a government issued id to the cashier. for quality control purposes and your convenience, your order will be prepared once your qr code is scanned. cubs tickets are available exclusively as mobile tickets via the free mlb ballpark app and must be scanned for entry into wrigley field. photographs and/or screenshots of tickets will not be accepted for entry into wrigley field. this secure, easy to use app also can be used to order concessions. visit cubs.com/ballparkapp learn more about the mlb ballpark app and mobile ordering feature. national anthem auditions are no longer being accepted for the 2024 season. any person(s) wanting to perform the national anthem prior to a cubs game must submit an audio file or video link of the musician(s) performing an "a cappella" version of "the star spangled banner." to be considered, auditions should be emailed to [email protected] between january 1 and march 1. nursing mothers seeking a private, quiet accommodation are welcome to use the mamava pod nursing station located just inside the gallagher way gate. the mamava pod is available to use from the time the gates open until the end of the game. first aid, located behind home plate on the main concourse, also includes a restroom and dedicated nursing mother’s room. prior to the start of the 2020 60 game regular season, two organists were hired to play at wrigley field. john benedeck is a lifelong cubs fan who grew up in the northwest suburbs of chicago. he began playing piano at six years old, taking lessons from a neighbor. he attended western illinois university where he pursued broadcast production and took on the role of pa announcer and organist for several varsity sports. now he enjoys playing piano at weddings, bars and leads worship at his church. josh langhoff has lived in the chicago area for 20 years. he is a church organist and choir director in northfield. he played piano almost as long as he’s been a baseball fan   his entire life. his favorite cubs memory is the look on kris bryant’s face as he threw the ball to anthony rizzo for the final out of the world series. please visit cubs.com/transportation for parking information. select sections of walkways outside of wrigley field are paved with commemorative brick pavers engraved with fan names and messages. purchased brick pavers were installed prior to the 2022 regular season at wrigley field and are located on waveland avenue. for premier seating information, please visit cubs.com/premier or contact our premier sales team at 773 404 4200. the following items are prohibited at wrigley field and gallagher way during for cubs games and winter programming (i.e., winterland at gallagher way). please be aware there is no personal item storage offered by the chicago cubs. additionally, the list of prohibited items may be different for non baseball events at wrigley field. contact cubs fan services at 800 the cubs with questions regarding other wrigley field events. all bags and items are subject to inspection. to ensure fan safety, the cubs reserve the right to refuse admittance of any item deemed hazardous or suspicious, including any item capable of being used as a projectile. the public address announcer for the chicago cubs is jeremiah paprocki. public transportation is the recommended way to get to wrigley field. cta bus #152 (addison) and cta bus #22 (clark) both stop at the intersection of clark & addison streets. for more details, call the cta hotline at 773 836 7000 or visit transitchicago.com. the cta red line stops directly at the wrigley field addison station. for more details, call the cta hotline at 773 836 7000 or visit transitchicago.com. from the northern suburbs: take either the skokie swift (yellow line) at 5900 w. dempster st., skokie, or the purple line at 349 linden, wilmette, and transfer to the red line train toward 95th at howard. wrigley field is at the addison stop. from o'hare airport: the cta station at o'hare is located below terminal 2. take the blue line train (toward forest park) to the addison stop. transfer to the eastbound cta bus 152 which will stop at wrigley field (clark st.). from midway airport: take the cta orange line toward the loop (downtown) and transfer to the red line (howard) train at roosevelt. wrigley field is at the addison stop. cubs games are broadcast live on chicago's 670 am the score. games also can be heard online at cubs.com. radio broadcasters for the cubs are pat hughes and ron coomer and can be emailed at [email protected]. specific information regarding a rainout and rescheduling will be provided directly to ticket holders via the email used to purchase tickets from the cubs. guests may not exit and re enter the ballpark. please note ticket holders may access gallagher way before, during and after their ticketed game. during games, guests may exit through gallagher way gate to access gallagher way beginning during the first inning with re entry closing at the bottom of the eighth inning. guests are not permitted to take alcohol between gallagher way and wrigley field. no refunds or exchanges are given for cubs tickets. all tickets are subject to the chicago cubs ticket terms and conditions. the cubs offer free remote parking for night and weekend games at 3900 n. rockwell st., just east of the chicago river and accessed from irving park road. the cubs’ remote parking lot includes a free shuttle service to and from wrigley field. services begin two hours before first pitch, and returning shuttles board postgame and run approximately one hour after the end of the game. please note the free shuttle service drops and picks up fans on irving park road between clark street and seminary avenue. please visit cubs.com/transportation for additional information. restrooms, including single occupancy restrooms, are located throughout the ballpark on the first base and third base sides in the main concourse, upper level and in the budweiser bleachers. all restrooms are accessible, and most restroom facilities are equipped with baby changing stations. for the nearest restroom, please contact a wrigley field associate or the “ask fan services” feature within the mlb ballpark app. rideshare services will have a geo fence for pick up and drop off spots around wrigley field for game and event days. the pick up locations will be at addison street between broadway and halsted street, and at irving park road between clark street and seminary avenue. please visit cubs.com/transportation for additional information. the rooftop businesses on waveland and sheffield avenues operate under a license from the cubs and a special club license from the city of chicago allowing the rooftops to sell advance tickets to view cubs games. for information, visit wrigleyrooftops.com. rooftops are not permitted to sell day of game tickets. scorecards are available for purchase on gamedays at gift shop locations. on non gamedays, you may purchase a scorecard by calling levy at 773 975 3636. if you are interested in cubs season tickets, please visit our season ticket holder page. uniformed wrigley field personnel are stationed throughout the ballpark during all events. for assistance during the game, text the word "friendly" with your issue and seating location to 773 839 0282. this option allows fans to discreetly alert event personnel of any fan services issues during a game. standard messaging and data rates apply. please refer to our accessibility guide for more information. please refer to our accessibility guide for more information. the wrigley field campus, including gallagher way, is smoke free. no smoking of any kind and no spitting is permitted in or around wrigley field. please refer to the gift shops section for more information. for non gameday and gameday event information (including corporate events and weddings and photoshoots inside the ballpark), please visit wrigleyfieldevents.com or contact our wrigley field events sales team at 773 388 8165 or [email protected]. please be aware, weddings and photoshoots are not permitted inside wrigley field on gamedays. to view and purchase our special ticket offers, please visit the special ticket offers page. souvenir items included with special ticket offers are only available to fans who purchase their ticket via the special offer’s webpage. the draftkings sportsbook at wrigley field is located on the corner of addison street and sheffield avenue at the southeast corner of wrigley field. the ernie banks, fergie jenkins, ryne sandberg, ron santo and billy williams statues are located at statue row on the north side of gallagher way just outside the ballpark near the gallagher way gate. the harry caray statue is located outside the budweiser bleacher gate. for more information on the statues at statue row, click here. collapsible, umbrella strollers that can fit underneath the seat are permitted in wrigley field. all other strollers can be claim checked at the cubs’ bike valet service. see bike valet service for more information. tailgating is not allowed in any of the chicago cubs operated parking lots. the chicago police department strictly enforces open alcohol container laws. each ticket is a revocable license subject to the terms and conditions thereon and available at cubs.com/ticketback. guests are subject to removal from wrigley field upon breach of the wrigley field code of conduct or the discretion of management. the wrigley field ticket office located on clark street, just north of the wrigley field marquee, will be open monday through friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and saturday and sunday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with extended hours for evening home games. the left field gate ticket windows, located on waveland avenue east of clark street, and the budweiser bleacher ticket windows, located on waveland avenue west of sheffield avenue, will be open two hours prior to first pitch for each gameday. the wrigley field ticket office will be cashless and require a credit card or debit card. fans can purchase tickets to chicago cubs games in several ways: umbrellas with metal tips and umbrellas larger than 10 inches are prohibited. small, collapsible umbrellas are permitted at wrigley field for cubs games and may be used as long as it does not obstruct other guests’ views of the field of play. for all other wrigley field events, please contact cubs fan services at 800 the cubs. please note whether umbrellas are permitted into wrigley field during a concert is at the discretion of the artist. personalize your visit to wrigley field by purchasing a special message on the wrigley field video board. messages are posted in the middle of the fifth inning. each message will only be displayed once, so be sure to have your camera out and ready! space is limited and messages are on a first come, first served basis. dates sell out quickly, so we recommend placing your order as soon as possible. proceeds benefit cubs charities. to order a video board message, visit cubs.com/videoboard. the most up to date weather information can be found on the weather updates page. the weather updates page will include information if a game is canceled, rescheduled, delayed/postponed or has a shifted start time prior to gates being opened for a game. please refer to our accessibility guide for information. will call, including ticket pick up and drop off services, is not available at wrigley field. ticket holders can utilize the ticket forward functionality in the mlb ballpark app to transfer tickets. wrigley field tours are available for fans to get a behind the scenes look at the legendary home of the chicago cubs. call fan services at 773 388 8270 or visit cubs.com/tours for information or to purchase. in an effort to ensure neighborhood specific, cubs related news and special offers reach those who live in our community, wrigley field neighbors residing within the 60613, 60614, 60640 and 60657 zip codes are invited to join a neighbor only email list. neighbors interested in joining the list can visit cubs.com/neighbors for detailed information. an expanded free wi fi is available throughout wrigley field using the network labeled wifi@wrigley. the cubs yearbook has been discontinued.

we will email you new jobs that match this search. great, we can send you jobs like this, if this is your first time signing up, please check your inbox to confirm your subscription. the email address was invalid, please check for errors. you must agree to the privacy statement the primary responsibility of the gbv officer will be to ensure oversight for quality assurance and alignment with unicef’s global gbvie operational guidance and resource pack, as well as other international standards and guidelines, including unicef's core commitment for children in humanitarian action, strategic plan, and gender action plan. the gbv officer will facilitate the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of unicef’s gbv related prevention and mitigation strategies in south sudan, ensuring overall efficiency, effectiveness, and achievement of results in compliance with both national and international standards, including unicef’s and iasc technical guidelines. location: south sudan deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm the primary responsibility of the gbv officer will be to ensure oversight for quality assurance and alignment with unicef’s global gbvie operational guidance and resource pack, as well as other international standards and guidelines, including unicef's core commitment for children in humanitarian action, strategic plan, and gender action plan. the gbv officer will facilitate the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of unicef’s gbv related prevention and mitigation strategies in south sudan, ensuring overall efficiency, effectiveness, and achievement of results in compliance with both national and international standards, including unicef’s and iasc technical guidelines. location: south sudan deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm under the direct supervision of the swa programme specialist, country engagement, the consultant will provide support for partner engagement to develop efficient plans and processes for the engagement of three swa constituencies, with a particular focus on heads of state engagement, high level meetings, mutual accountability mechanism, as well as mobilisation in underrepresented constituencies. location: united states deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm the monitoring officer is accountable for the accomplishment of the stated key end results by providing professional expertise and assistance in developing systems for monitoring of unicef mali goals results. this would entail development of tools for data collection, information management, and data analysis, third party monitoring and field monitoring. the position will also support innovation in monitoring including creating online systems and development of dashboards, and capacity building training for national and sub national staff and partners in using tools to monitor and manage results. location: mali deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm compte tenu des multiples initiatives de communication prévues tout au long du cycle du programme, unicef cherche à établir des consultances avec des prestataires individuels basés au gabon   producteur, vidéographe, photographe hautement qualifiés, capable de rédiger et de produire des matériels audiovisuels. l'objectif est de sélectionner des consultants individuels qualifiés pour établir un accord à long terme (lta) d’une durée de 2 ans avec chacun d’eux. location: gabon deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef gssc is looking for talented it professionals to work on optimization and automation, development and maintenance of rpa solutions while ensuring applicable compliance, quality and documentation standards. work with different sections in the gssc and other stakeholders sharing information and ensure an optimal solution to the business. location: hungary deadline: 16 feb 2025 11:55 pm the driver under the supervision of the travel assistant, will fulfill administrative and logistics needs in support of the office team. the incumbent will perform office errands by driving vehicles for the transportation of authorized personnel, and delivery and collection of mail, documents, and other items. location: cameroon deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm this consultancy is to directly support the national department of education (ndoe) to develop a comprehensive program document (pd) for implementation of the gpe’s system transformation grant (stg) and system capacity grant (scg) while closely supervised by the education manager of unicef png, the consultant will work with the deputy secretary   schools directorate who is the gpe focal point and a task team to be established within ndoe with relevant division representatives. the consultant will also liaise with the education policy adviser of jica (coordinating agency [ca] and co chair of leg) to ensure information sharing with leg. location: papua new guinea deadline: 21 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef lebanon is committed to support lebanon’s ministry of public health (moph) and unrwa to ensure efficient management of the immunization supply chain and achieving improvements in the effective vaccine management (evm) system. the evm assessment and subsequent improvement plan (ip) aim to strengthen lebanon’s immunization supply chain management (iscm) systems to handle current and future vaccine introductions. location: lebanon deadline: 17 feb 2025 11:55 pm to provide technical support to design, implement, and operationalize child centered early warning systems (ews) in nepal and maldives. the focus will be on enhancing the resilience of children by conducting child centered risk assessments, integrating the children's climate risk index (ccri) disaster risk management (drm) frameworks, and developing climate change calibrated scenarios for targeted interventions. location: nepal deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef eastern and southern africa regional office (esaro) is looking for a health specialist   phe who will lead the technical aspects of planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of unicef’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies, in alignment with the esaro framework for response to such emergencies. if the post requirement matches your professional aspirations and skills, we would like to hear from you. location: kenya deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm strengthening the capacity of foster care system for unaccompanied children, through institutional engagement and direct training, including on the job training and support to social workforce, in close cooperation with the local juvenile court, relevant municipalities in sicily, the regional ombudsperson for childhood and adolescence and civil society organizations currently active in the local context location: italy deadline: 9 feb 2025 11:55 pm the incumbent will report directly to the supply and logistics specialist and provide technical support to program sections, operations, and field offices. the supply and logistics assistant is responsible for assisting the uninterrupted supply of affordable and good quality supplies and services, adapted to the context and through compliance with unicef’s policies, procedures, and ethics standards location: mali deadline: 12 feb 2025 11:55 pm le bureau de l'unicef comores souhaite mobiliser un consultant international, juriste spécialiste, pour accompagner le gouvernement, à travers ministère de l’intérieur, de la décentralisation et de l'administration territoriale et des relations avec les institutions en vue d’élaborer et de finaliser le projet de décret devant régir l’administration, le fonctionnement, les compétences de l’agence nationale de l’etat civil aux comores, conforme aux normes internationales et nationales. location: comoros deadline: 17 feb 2025 11:55 pm a challenging and exciting opportunity has arisen within unicef drc co for a passionate and committed planning and monitoring manager (nexus & resilience), p4 level. if you want to make a difference for children, we encourage you to apply. location: democratic republic of congo deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef brazil is searching for an experienced professional to support the area of education and child protection in roraima, boa vista to provide overall technical, managerial, and operational leadership to deliver child protection and education results within the context of the humanitarian response. this position is presential, located in boa vista and for brazilian citizens only. unicef’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. for this position, eligible and suitable candidates from diverse populations (afro descendants, indigenous, and other minorities) are encouraged to apply. location: brazil deadline: 23 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef tchad recherche un/une consultant(e) national(e) pour l'élaboration de la cartographie des intervenants crec communautaires, des organisations communautaires de base et des influenceurs au niveau communautaire. tous les candidats qualifiés sont invités à postuler. location: chad deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef tchad recherche un(e) consultant(e) international(e) pour l’élaboration d'un plan stratégique national de communication des risques et engagement communautaire multi épidémies. les candicats qualifiés sans distinction de race ni de religion y compris les personnes en situation d'handicap sont invités à postuler. location: chad deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef tchad recrute 5 consultants nationaux pour un appui technique au ministère de la santé en collaboration avec le bureau pays et les sous bureaux de l’unicef pour la préparation et la mise en œuvre de l’approche acd dans les neuf (9) provinces ciblées et les 50 districts. il s’agit de renforcer les capacités des acteurs locaux en matière de planification, de gestion des ressources logistiques et financières, de supervision formative et de suivi évaluation afin d’augmenter la couverture vaccinale et les taux d’enregistrement des naissances. location: chad deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm join unicef as a project manager   people in emergencies in the division of people and culture, where you'll play a vital role in advancing the rights of every child through strategic initiatives in humanitarian action. this position focuses on implementing the humanitarian review and hr in emergency retreat initiatives, ensuring effective coordination and collaboration across teams to enhance organizational efficiency and engagement. as a key contributor to transformative change, you will support project planning, monitoring, and communication efforts, all while fostering partnerships within unicef and beyond. if you are passionate about driving impactful results for the most disadvantaged children and possess strong project management skills, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in children's lives worldwide. location: türkiye deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm more jobs 157 the primary responsibility of the gbv officer will be to ensure oversight for quality assurance and alignment with unicef’s global gbvie operational guidance and resource pack, as well as other international standards and guidelines, including unicef's core commitment for children in humanitarian action, strategic plan, and gender action plan. the gbv officer will facilitate the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of unicef’s gbv related prevention and mitigation strategies in south sudan, ensuring overall efficiency, effectiveness, and achievement of results in compliance with both national and international standards, including unicef’s and iasc technical guidelines. location: south sudan deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm the primary responsibility of the gbv officer will be to ensure oversight for quality assurance and alignment with unicef’s global gbvie operational guidance and resource pack, as well as other international standards and guidelines, including unicef's core commitment for children in humanitarian action, strategic plan, and gender action plan. the gbv officer will facilitate the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of unicef’s gbv related prevention and mitigation strategies in south sudan, ensuring overall efficiency, effectiveness, and achievement of results in compliance with both national and international standards, including unicef’s and iasc technical guidelines. location: south sudan deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm under the direct supervision of the swa programme specialist, country engagement, the consultant will provide support for partner engagement to develop efficient plans and processes for the engagement of three swa constituencies, with a particular focus on heads of state engagement, high level meetings, mutual accountability mechanism, as well as mobilisation in underrepresented constituencies. location: united states deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm the monitoring officer is accountable for the accomplishment of the stated key end results by providing professional expertise and assistance in developing systems for monitoring of unicef mali goals results. this would entail development of tools for data collection, information management, and data analysis, third party monitoring and field monitoring. the position will also support innovation in monitoring including creating online systems and development of dashboards, and capacity building training for national and sub national staff and partners in using tools to monitor and manage results. location: mali deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm compte tenu des multiples initiatives de communication prévues tout au long du cycle du programme, unicef cherche à établir des consultances avec des prestataires individuels basés au gabon   producteur, vidéographe, photographe hautement qualifiés, capable de rédiger et de produire des matériels audiovisuels. l'objectif est de sélectionner des consultants individuels qualifiés pour établir un accord à long terme (lta) d’une durée de 2 ans avec chacun d’eux. location: gabon deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef gssc is looking for talented it professionals to work on optimization and automation, development and maintenance of rpa solutions while ensuring applicable compliance, quality and documentation standards. work with different sections in the gssc and other stakeholders sharing information and ensure an optimal solution to the business. location: hungary deadline: 16 feb 2025 11:55 pm the driver under the supervision of the travel assistant, will fulfill administrative and logistics needs in support of the office team. the incumbent will perform office errands by driving vehicles for the transportation of authorized personnel, and delivery and collection of mail, documents, and other items. location: cameroon deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm this consultancy is to directly support the national department of education (ndoe) to develop a comprehensive program document (pd) for implementation of the gpe’s system transformation grant (stg) and system capacity grant (scg) while closely supervised by the education manager of unicef png, the consultant will work with the deputy secretary   schools directorate who is the gpe focal point and a task team to be established within ndoe with relevant division representatives. the consultant will also liaise with the education policy adviser of jica (coordinating agency [ca] and co chair of leg) to ensure information sharing with leg. location: papua new guinea deadline: 21 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef lebanon is committed to support lebanon’s ministry of public health (moph) and unrwa to ensure efficient management of the immunization supply chain and achieving improvements in the effective vaccine management (evm) system. the evm assessment and subsequent improvement plan (ip) aim to strengthen lebanon’s immunization supply chain management (iscm) systems to handle current and future vaccine introductions. location: lebanon deadline: 17 feb 2025 11:55 pm to provide technical support to design, implement, and operationalize child centered early warning systems (ews) in nepal and maldives. the focus will be on enhancing the resilience of children by conducting child centered risk assessments, integrating the children's climate risk index (ccri) disaster risk management (drm) frameworks, and developing climate change calibrated scenarios for targeted interventions. location: nepal deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef eastern and southern africa regional office (esaro) is looking for a health specialist   phe who will lead the technical aspects of planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of unicef’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies, in alignment with the esaro framework for response to such emergencies. if the post requirement matches your professional aspirations and skills, we would like to hear from you. location: kenya deadline: 14 feb 2025 11:55 pm strengthening the capacity of foster care system for unaccompanied children, through institutional engagement and direct training, including on the job training and support to social workforce, in close cooperation with the local juvenile court, relevant municipalities in sicily, the regional ombudsperson for childhood and adolescence and civil society organizations currently active in the local context location: italy deadline: 9 feb 2025 11:55 pm the incumbent will report directly to the supply and logistics specialist and provide technical support to program sections, operations, and field offices. the supply and logistics assistant is responsible for assisting the uninterrupted supply of affordable and good quality supplies and services, adapted to the context and through compliance with unicef’s policies, procedures, and ethics standards location: mali deadline: 12 feb 2025 11:55 pm le bureau de l'unicef comores souhaite mobiliser un consultant international, juriste spécialiste, pour accompagner le gouvernement, à travers ministère de l’intérieur, de la décentralisation et de l'administration territoriale et des relations avec les institutions en vue d’élaborer et de finaliser le projet de décret devant régir l’administration, le fonctionnement, les compétences de l’agence nationale de l’etat civil aux comores, conforme aux normes internationales et nationales. location: comoros deadline: 17 feb 2025 11:55 pm a challenging and exciting opportunity has arisen within unicef drc co for a passionate and committed planning and monitoring manager (nexus & resilience), p4 level. if you want to make a difference for children, we encourage you to apply. location: democratic republic of congo deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef brazil is searching for an experienced professional to support the area of education and child protection in roraima, boa vista to provide overall technical, managerial, and operational leadership to deliver child protection and education results within the context of the humanitarian response. this position is presential, located in boa vista and for brazilian citizens only. unicef’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. for this position, eligible and suitable candidates from diverse populations (afro descendants, indigenous, and other minorities) are encouraged to apply. location: brazil deadline: 23 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef tchad recherche un/une consultant(e) national(e) pour l'élaboration de la cartographie des intervenants crec communautaires, des organisations communautaires de base et des influenceurs au niveau communautaire. tous les candidats qualifiés sont invités à postuler. location: chad deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef tchad recherche un(e) consultant(e) international(e) pour l’élaboration d'un plan stratégique national de communication des risques et engagement communautaire multi épidémies. les candicats qualifiés sans distinction de race ni de religion y compris les personnes en situation d'handicap sont invités à postuler. location: chad deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm unicef tchad recrute 5 consultants nationaux pour un appui technique au ministère de la santé en collaboration avec le bureau pays et les sous bureaux de l’unicef pour la préparation et la mise en œuvre de l’approche acd dans les neuf (9) provinces ciblées et les 50 districts. il s’agit de renforcer les capacités des acteurs locaux en matière de planification, de gestion des ressources logistiques et financières, de supervision formative et de suivi évaluation afin d’augmenter la couverture vaccinale et les taux d’enregistrement des naissances. location: chad deadline: 20 feb 2025 11:55 pm join unicef as a project manager   people in emergencies in the division of people and culture, where you'll play a vital role in advancing the rights of every child through strategic initiatives in humanitarian action. this position focuses on implementing the humanitarian review and hr in emergency retreat initiatives, ensuring effective coordination and collaboration across teams to enhance organizational efficiency and engagement. as a key contributor to transformative change, you will support project planning, monitoring, and communication efforts, all while fostering partnerships within unicef and beyond. if you are passionate about driving impactful results for the most disadvantaged children and possess strong project management skills, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in children's lives worldwide. location: türkiye deadline: 13 feb 2025 11:55 pm more jobs 157 powered by pageup

frontline strength (22 june 1941) frontline strength (22 june 1941) total military casualties:1,000,000+[d] according to german army medical reports (including army norway):[16] other involved country losses total military casualties:4,500,000 based on soviet archives:[24] phase 1 phase 2 phase 3 phase 4 air war operation barbarossa[g] was the invasion of the soviet union by nazi germany and several of its european axis allies starting on 22 june 1941, during world war ii. more than 3.8 million axis troops invaded the western soviet union along a 2,900 kilometer (1,800 mi) front, with the main goal of capturing territory up to a line between arkhangelsk and astrakhan (a a line). the attack became the largest and costliest military offensive in history, with around 10 million combatants taking part in the opening phase[26] and over 8 million casualties by the end of the operation on 5 december 1941.[27][28] it marked a major escalation of world war ii, opening the eastern front the largest and deadliest land theatre of war in history and bringing the soviet union into the allied powers. the operation, code named after the holy roman emperor frederick barbarossa ("red beard"), put into action nazi germany's ideological goals of eradicating communism and conquering the western soviet union to repopulate it with germans under generalplan ost, which planned for the extermination of the native slavic peoples by mass deportation to siberia, germanisation, enslavement, and genocide.[29][30] the material targets of the invasion were the agricultural and mineral resources of territories such as ukraine and byelorussia and oil fields in the caucasus. the axis eventually captured five million soviet red army troops on the eastern front[31] and deliberately starved to death or otherwise killed 3.3 million prisoners of war, as well as millions of civilians.[32] mass shootings and gassing operations, carried out by german paramilitary death squads and collaborators,[h] murdered over a million soviet jews as part of the holocaust.[34] in the two years leading up to the invasion, nazi germany and the soviet union signed political and economic pacts for strategic purposes. following the soviet occupation of bessarabia and northern bukovina in july 1940, the german high command began planning an invasion of the country, which was approved by adolf hitler in december. in early 1941, soviet leader joseph stalin, despite receiving intelligence about an imminent attack, did not order a mobilization of the red army, fearing that it might provoke germany. as a result, soviet forces were largely caught unprepared when the invasion began, with many units positioned poorly and understrength. the invasion began on 22 june 1941 with a massive ground and air assault, resulting in large territorial gains for the nazis and their allies. the main part of army group south invaded from occupied poland on 22 june and on 2 july was joined by a combination of german and romanian forces attacking from romania. kiev was captured on 19 september, which was followed by the captures of kharkov on 24 october and rostov on don on 20 november, by which time most of crimea had been captured. army group north overran the baltic lands and on 8 september 1941, began a siege of leningrad accompanied by finnish forces, which ultimately lasted until 1944. army group centre, the strongest of the three, captured smolensk in late july 1941 before beginning its drive on moscow on 2 october. facing logistical problems with supply, slowed by muddy terrain, not fully outfitted for russia's brutal winter, and coping with determined soviet resistance, army group center's offensive stalled at the city's outskirts by 5 december, at which point the soviets began a major counteroffensive. the failure of operation barbarossa reversed the fortunes of nazi germany.[35] operationally, it achieved significant victories and occupied some of the most important economic regions of the soviet union, captured millions of prisoners, and inflicted heavy casualties. the german high command anticipated a quick collapse of resistance as in the invasion of poland, but instead the red army absorbed the german wehrmacht's strongest blows and bogged it down in a war of attrition for which germany was unprepared. following the heavy losses and logistical strain of barbarossa, german forces could no longer attack along the entire front, and their subsequent operations such as case blue in 1942 and operation citadel in 1943 ultimately failed..mw parser output .toclimit 2 .toclevel 1 ul,.mw parser output .toclimit 3 .toclevel 2 ul,.mw parser output .toclimit 4 .toclevel 3 ul,.mw parser output .toclimit 5 .toclevel 4 ul,.mw parser output .toclimit 6 .toclevel 5 ul,.mw parser output .toclimit 7 .toclevel 6 ul{display:none} the theme of barbarossa had long been used by the nazi party as part of their political imagery, though this was really a continuation of the glorification of the famous crusader king by german nationalists since the 19th century. according to a germanic medieval legend, revived in the 19th century by the nationalistic tropes of german romanticism, the holy roman emperor frederick barbarossa who drowned in asia minor while leading the third crusade was not dead but asleep, along with his knights, in a cave in the kyffhäuser mountains in thuringia, and would awaken in the hour of germany's greatest need and restore the nation to its former glory.[36] originally, the invasion of the soviet union was codenamed operation otto (alluding to holy roman emperor otto the great's expansive campaigns in eastern europe),[37] but hitler had the name changed to operation barbarossa in december 1940.[38] hitler had in july 1937 praised barbarossa as the emperor who first expressed germanic cultural ideas and carried them to the outside world through his imperial mission.[39] for hitler, the name barbarossa signified his belief that the conquest of the soviet union would usher in the nazi "thousand year reich".[39] as early as 1925, adolf hitler vaguely declared in his political manifesto and autobiography mein kampf that he would invade the soviet union, asserting that the german people needed to secure lebensraum ('living space') to ensure the survival of germany for generations to come.[40] on 10 february 1939, hitler told his army commanders that the next war would be "purely a war of weltanschauungen ['worldviews']... totally a people's war, a racial war". on 23 november, once world war ii had already started, hitler declared that "racial war has broken out and this war shall determine who shall govern europe, and with it, the world".[41] the racial policy of nazi germany portrayed the soviet union (and all of eastern europe) as populated by non aryan untermenschen ('sub humans'), ruled by jewish bolshevik conspirators.[42] hitler claimed in mein kampf that germany's destiny was to follow the drang nach osten ('turn to the east') as it did "600 years ago" (see ostsiedlung).[43] accordingly, it was a partially secret but well documented nazi policy to kill, deport, or enslave the majority of russian and other slavic populations and repopulate the land west of the urals with germanic peoples, under generalplan ost (general plan for the east).[44] the nazis' belief in their ethnic superiority pervades official records and pseudoscientific articles in german periodicals, on topics such as "how to deal with alien populations."[45] while older histories tended to emphasize the myth of the "clean wehrmacht," upholding its honor in the face of hitler's fanaticism, the historian jürgen förster notes that "in fact, the military commanders were caught up in the ideological character of the conflict, and involved in its implementation as willing participants".[41] before and during the invasion of the soviet union, german troops were indoctrinated with anti bolshevik, anti semitic and anti slavic ideology via movies, radio, lectures, books, and leaflets.[46] likening the soviets to the forces of genghis khan, hitler told the croatian military leader slavko kvaternik that the "mongolian race" threatened europe.[47] following the invasion, many wehrmacht officers told their soldiers to target people who were described as "jewish bolshevik subhumans," the "mongol hordes," the "asiatic flood" and the "red beast."[48] nazi propaganda portrayed the war against the soviet union as an ideological war between german national socialism and jewish bolshevism and a racial war between the disciplined germans and the jewish, romani and slavic untermenschen.[49] an 'order from the führer' stated that the paramilitary ss einsatzgruppen, which closely followed the wehrmacht's advance, were to execute all soviet functionaries who were "less valuable asiatics, gypsies and jews."[50] six months into the invasion of the soviet union, the einsatzgruppen had murdered more than 500,000 soviet jews, a figure greater than the number of red army soldiers killed in battle by then.[51] german army commanders cast jews as the major cause behind the "partisan struggle."[52] the main guideline for german troops was "where there's a partisan, there's a jew, and where there's a jew, there's a partisan" or "the partisan is where the jew is."[53][54] many german troops viewed the war in nazi terms and regarded their soviet enemies as sub human.[55] after the war began, the nazis issued a ban on sexual relations between germans and foreign slaves.[56] there were regulations enacted against the ost arbeiter ('eastern workers') that included the death penalty for sexual relations with a german.[57] heinrich himmler, in his secret memorandum, reflections on the treatment of peoples of alien races in the east (dated 25 may 1940), outlined the nazi plans for the non german populations in the east.[58] himmler believed the germanisation process in eastern europe would be complete when "in the east dwell only men with truly german, germanic blood."[59] the nazi secret plan generalplan ost, prepared in 1941 and confirmed in 1942, called for a "new order of ethnographical relations" in the territories occupied by nazi germany in eastern europe. it envisaged ethnic cleansing, executions and enslavement of the populations of conquered countries, with very small percentages undergoing germanisation, expulsion into the depths of russia or other fates, while the conquered territories would be germanised. the plan had two parts, the kleine planung ('small plan'), which covered actions to be taken during the war and the große planung ('large plan'), which covered policies after the war was won, to be implemented gradually over 25 to 30 years.[60] a speech given by general erich hoepner demonstrates the dissemination of the nazi racial plan, as he informed the 4th panzer group that the war against the soviet union was "an essential part of the german people's struggle for existence" (daseinskampf), also referring to the imminent battle as the "old struggle of germans against slavs" and even stated, "the struggle must aim at the annihilation of today's russia and must, therefore, be waged with unparalleled harshness."[61] hoepner also added that the germans were fighting for "the defence of european culture against moscovite asiatic inundation, and the repulse of jewish bolshevism ... no adherents of the present russian bolshevik system are to be spared." walther von brauchitsch also told his subordinates that troops should view the war as a "struggle between two different races and [should] act with the necessary severity."[62] racial motivations were central to nazi ideology and played a key role in planning for operation barbarossa since both jews and communists were considered equivalent enemies of the nazi state. nazi imperialist ambitions rejected the common humanity of both groups, declaring the supreme struggle for lebensraum to be a vernichtungskrieg ('war of annihilation').[63][41] on august 23, 1939, germany and the soviet union signed a non aggression pact in moscow known as the molotov ribbentrop pact.[64] a secret protocol to the pact outlined an agreement between germany and the soviet union on the division of the eastern european border states between their respective "spheres of influence," soviet union and germany would partition poland in the event of an invasion by germany, and the soviets would be allowed to overrun finland, estonia, latvia and the region of bessarabia.[65] on 23 august 1939 the rest of the world learned of this pact but were unaware of the provisions to partition poland.[66] the pact stunned the world because of the parties' earlier mutual hostility and their conflicting ideologies.[67] the conclusion of this pact was followed by the german invasion of poland on 1 september that triggered the outbreak of world war ii in europe, then the soviet invasion of poland that led to the annexation of the eastern part of the country.[68] as a result of the pact, germany and the soviet union maintained reasonably strong diplomatic relations for two years and fostered an important economic relationship. the countries entered a trade pact in 1940 by which the soviets received german military equipment and trade goods in exchange for raw materials, such as oil and wheat, to help the german war effort by circumventing the british blockade of germany.[69] despite the parties' ostensibly cordial relations, each side was highly suspicious of the other's intentions. for instance, the soviet invasion of bukovina in june 1940 went beyond their sphere of influence as agreed with germany.[70] after germany entered the axis pact with japan and italy, it began negotiations about a potential soviet entry into the pact.[71] after two days of negotiations in berlin from 12 to 14 november 1940, ribbentrop presented a draft treaty for a soviet entry into the axis.[72] however, hitler had no intention of allowing the soviet union into the axis and in an order stated, "political conversations designed to clarify the attitude of russia in the immediate future have been started. regardless of the outcome of these conversations, all preparations for the east previously ordered orally are to be continued. [written] directives on that will follow as soon as the basic elements of the army's plan for the operation have been submitted to me and approved by me."[72] there would be no "long term agreement with russia" given that the nazis intended to go to war with them; but the soviets approached the negotiations differently and were willing to make huge economic concessions to secure a relationship under general terms acceptable to the germans just a year before.[72] on 25 november 1940, the soviet union offered a written counter proposal to join the axis if germany would agree to refrain from interference in the soviet union's sphere of influence, but germany did not respond.[71] as both sides began colliding with each other in eastern europe, conflict appeared more likely, although they did sign a border and commercial agreement addressing several open issues in january 1941. according to historian robert service, joseph stalin was convinced that the overall military strength of the soviet union was such that he had nothing to fear and anticipated an easy victory should germany attack; moreover, stalin believed that since the germans were still fighting the british in the west, hitler would be unlikely to open up a two front war and subsequently delayed the reconstruction of defensive fortifications in the border regions.[73] when german soldiers swam across the bug river to warn the red army of an impending attack, they were shot as enemy agents.[74] some historians believe that stalin, despite providing an amicable front to hitler, did not wish to remain allies with germany. rather, stalin might have had intentions to break off from germany and proceed with his own campaign against germany to be followed by one against the rest of europe.[75] other historians contend that stalin did not plan for such an attack in june 1941, given the parlous state of the red army at the time of the invasion.[76] stalin's reputation as a brutal dictator contributed both to the nazis' justification of their assault and to their expectations of success, as stalin's great purge of the 1930s had executed many competent and experienced military officers, leaving red army leadership weaker than their german adversary. the nazis often emphasized the soviet regime's brutality when targeting the slavs with propaganda.[77] they also claimed that the red army was preparing to attack the germans, and their own invasion was thus presented as a pre emptive strike.[77] hitler also utilised the rising tension between the soviet union and germany over territories in the balkans as one of the pretexts for the invasion.[78] while no concrete plans had yet been made, hitler told one of his generals in june 1940 that the victories in western europe finally freed his hands for a "final showdown" with bolshevism.[79] with the successful end to the campaign in france, general erich marcks was assigned the task of drawing up the initial invasion plans of the soviet union. the first battle plans were entitled operation draft east (colloquially known as the marcks plan).[80] his report advocated the a a line as the operational objective of any invasion of the soviet union. this assault would extend from the northern city of arkhangelsk on the arctic sea through gorky and rostov to the port city of astrakhan at the mouth of the volga on the caspian sea. the report concluded that once established this military border would reduce the threat to germany from attacks by enemy bombers.[80] although hitler was warned by many high ranking military officers, such as friedrich paulus, that occupying western russia would create "more of a drain than a relief for germany's economic situation," he anticipated compensatory benefits such as the demobilisation of entire divisions to relieve the acute labour shortage in german industry, the exploitation of ukraine as a reliable and immense source of agricultural products, the use of forced labour to stimulate germany's overall economy and the expansion of territory to improve germany's efforts to isolate the united kingdom.[81] hitler was further convinced that britain would sue for peace once the germans triumphed in the soviet union,[82] and if they did not, he would use the resources gained in the east to defeat the british empire.[83] we only have to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.[84] hitler received the final military plans for the invasion on 5 december 1940, which the german high command had been working on since july 1940, under the codename "operation otto." upon reviewing the plans, hitler formally committed germany to the invasion when he issued führer directive 21 on 18 december 1940, where he outlined the precise manner in which the operation was to be carried out.[85] hitler also renamed the operation to barbarossa in honor of medieval emperor friedrich i of the holy roman empire, a leader of the third crusade in the 12th century.[86] the barbarossa decree, issued by hitler on 30 march 1941, supplemented the directive by decreeing that the war against the soviet union would be one of annihilation and legally sanctioned the eradication of all communist political leaders and intellectual elites in eastern europe.[87] the invasion was tentatively set for may 1941. according to a 1978 essay by german historian andreas hillgruber, the invasion plans drawn up by the german military elite were substantially coloured by hubris, stemming from the rapid defeat of france at the hands of the "invincible" wehrmacht and by traditional german stereotypes of russia as a primitive, backward "asiatic" country.[i] red army soldiers were considered brave and tough, but the officer corps was held in contempt. the leadership of the wehrmacht paid little attention to politics, culture, and the considerable industrial capacity of the soviet union, in favour of a very narrow military view.[89] hillgruber argued that because these assumptions were shared by the entire military elite, hitler was able to push through with a "war of annihilation" that would be waged in the most inhumane fashion possible with the complicity of "several military leaders," even though it was quite clear that this would be in violation of all accepted norms of warfare.[89] even so, in autumn 1940, some high ranking german military officials drafted a memorandum to hitler on the dangers of an invasion of the soviet union. they argued that the eastern territories (ukrainian soviet socialist republic, the byelorussian soviet socialist republic, the estonian soviet socialist republic, the latvian soviet socialist republic, and the lithuanian soviet socialist republic) would only end up as a further economic burden for germany.[90] it was further argued that the soviets, in their current bureaucratic form, were harmless and that the occupation would not benefit germany politically either.[90] hitler, solely focused on his ultimate ideological goal of eliminating the soviet union and communism, disagreed with economists about the risks and told his right hand man hermann göring, the chief of the luftwaffe, that he would no longer listen to misgivings about the economic dangers of a war with the ussr.[91] it is speculated that this was passed on to general georg thomas, who had produced reports that predicted a net economic drain for germany in the event of an invasion of the soviet union unless its economy was captured intact and the caucasus oilfields seized in the first blow; thomas revised his future report to fit hitler's wishes.[91] the red army's ineptitude in the winter war against finland in 1939 40 also convinced hitler of a quick victory within a few months. neither hitler nor the general staff anticipated a long campaign lasting into the winter and therefore, adequate preparations such as the distribution of warm clothing and winterisation of important military equipment like tanks and artillery, were not made.[92] further to hitler's directive, göring's green folder, issued in march 1941, laid out the agenda for the next step after the anticipated quick conquest of the soviet union. the hunger plan outlined how entire urban populations of conquered territories were to be starved to death, thus creating an agricultural surplus to feed germany and urban space for the german upper class.[93] nazi policy aimed to destroy the soviet union as a political entity in accordance with the geopolitical lebensraum ideals for the benefit of future generations of the "nordic master race".[77] in 1941, nazi ideologue alfred rosenberg later appointed reich minister of the occupied eastern territories suggested that conquered soviet territory should be administered in the following reichskommissariate ('reich commissionerships'): german military planners also researched napoleon's failed invasion of russia. in their calculations, they concluded that there was little danger of a large scale retreat of the red army into the russian interior, as it could not afford to give up the baltic countries, ukraine, or the moscow and leningrad regions, all of which were vital to the red army for supply reasons and would thus, have to be defended.[96] hitler and his generals disagreed on where germany should focus its energy.[97][98] hitler, in many discussions with his generals, repeated his order of "leningrad first, the donbas second, moscow third;"[99] but he consistently emphasized the destruction of the red army over the achievement of specific terrain objectives.[100] hitler believed moscow to be of "no great importance" in the defeat of the soviet union[j] and instead believed victory would come with the destruction of the red army west of the capital, especially west of the western dvina and dnieper rivers, and this pervaded the plan for barbarossa.[102][103] this belief later led to disputes between hitler and several german senior officers, including heinz guderian, gerhard engel, fedor von bock and franz halder, who believed the decisive victory could only be delivered at moscow.[104] they were unable to sway hitler, who had grown overconfident in his own military judgment as a result of the rapid successes in western europe.[105] the germans had begun massing troops near the soviet border even before the campaign in the balkans had finished. by the third week of february 1941, 680,000 german soldiers were gathered in assembly areas on the romanian soviet border.[106] in preparation for the attack, hitler had secretly moved upwards of 3 million german troops and approximately 690,000 axis soldiers to the soviet border regions.[107] additional luftwaffe operations included numerous aerial surveillance missions over soviet territory many months before the attack.[108] although the soviet high command was alarmed by this, stalin's belief that nazi germany was unlikely to attack only two years after signing the molotov ribbentrop pact resulted in slow soviet preparation.[109] this fact aside, the soviets did not entirely overlook the threat of their german neighbor. well before the german invasion, marshal semyon timoshenko referred to the germans as the soviet union's "most important and strongest enemy," and as early as july 1940, the red army chief of staff, boris shaposhnikov, produced a preliminary three pronged plan of attack for what a german invasion might look like, remarkably similar to the actual attack.[110] since april 1941, the germans had begun setting up operation haifisch and operation harpune to substantiate their claims that britain was the real target. these simulated preparations in norway and the english channel coast included activities such as ship concentrations, reconnaissance flights and training exercises.[111] the reasons for the postponement of barbarossa from the initially planned date of 15 may to the actual invasion date of 22 june 1941 (a 38 day delay) are debated. the reason most commonly cited is the unforeseen contingency of invading yugoslavia and greece on 6 april 1941 until june 1941.[112] historian thomas b. buell indicates that finland and romania, which weren't involved in initial german planning, needed additional time to prepare to participate in the invasion. buell adds that an unusually wet winter kept rivers at full flood until late spring.[113][k] the floods may have discouraged an earlier attack, even if they occurred before the end of the balkans campaign.[115][l] the importance of the delay is still debated. william shirer argued that hitler's balkan campaign had delayed the commencement of barbarossa by several weeks and thereby jeopardised it.[117] many later historians argue that the 22 june start date was sufficient for the german offensive to reach moscow by september.[118][119][120][121] antony beevor wrote in 2012 about the delay caused by german attacks in the balkans that "most [historians] accept that it made little difference" to the eventual outcome of barbarossa.[122] the germans deployed one independent regiment, one separate motorised training brigade and 153 divisions for barbarossa, which included 104 infantry, 19 panzer and 15 motorised infantry divisions in three army groups, nine security divisions to operate in conquered territories, four divisions in finland[m] and two divisions as reserve under the direct control of okh.[124] these were equipped with 6,867 armoured vehicles, of which 3,350 3,795 were tanks, 2,770 4,389 aircraft (that amounted to 65 percent of the luftwaffe), 7,200 23,435 artillery pieces, 17,081 mortars, about 600,000 motor vehicles and 625,000 700,000 horses.[125][126][4][7][5] finland slated 14 divisions for the invasion, and romania offered 13 divisions and eight brigades over the course of barbarossa.[3] the entire axis forces, 3.8 million personnel,[2] deployed across a front extending from the arctic ocean southward to the black sea,[100] were all controlled by the okh and organised into army norway, army group north, army group centre and army group south, alongside three luftflotten (air fleets, the air force equivalent of army groups) that supported the army groups: luftflotte 1 for north, luftflotte 2 for centre and luftflotte 4 for south.[3] army norway was to operate in far northern scandinavia and bordering soviet territories.[3] army group north was to march through latvia and estonia into northern russia, then either take or destroy the city of leningrad, and link up with finnish forces.[127][99] army group centre, the army group equipped with the most armour and air power,[128] was to strike from poland into belorussia and the west central regions of russia proper, and advance to smolensk and then moscow.[99] army group south was to strike the heavily populated and agricultural heartland of ukraine, taking kiev before continuing eastward over the steppes of southern ussr to the volga with the aim of controlling the oil rich caucasus.[99] army group south was deployed in two sections separated by a 198 mile (319 km) gap. the northern section, which contained the army group's only panzer group, was in southern poland right next to army group centre, and the southern section was in romania.[129] the german forces in the rear (mostly waffen ss and einsatzgruppen units) were to operate in conquered territories to counter any partisan activity in areas they controlled, as well as to execute captured soviet political commissars and jews.[77] on 17 june, reich security main office (rsha) chief reinhard heydrich briefed around thirty to fifty einsatzgruppen commanders on "the policy of eliminating jews in soviet territories, at least in general terms".[130] while the einsatzgruppen were assigned to the wehrmacht's units, which provided them with supplies such as gasoline and food, they were controlled by the rsha.[131] the official plan for barbarossa assumed that the army groups would be able to advance freely to their primary objectives simultaneously, without spreading thin, once they had won the border battles and destroyed the red army's forces in the border area.[132] in 1930, mikhail tukhachevsky, a prominent military theorist in tank warfare in the interwar period and later marshal of the soviet union, forwarded a memo to the kremlin that lobbied for colossal investment in the resources required for the mass production of weapons, pressing the case for "40,000 aircraft and 50,000 tanks."[133] in the early 1930s, a modern operational doctrine for the red army was developed and promulgated in the 1936 field regulations in the form of the deep battle concept. defence expenditure also grew rapidly from just 12 percent of the gross national product in 1933 to 18 percent by 1940.[134] during joseph stalin's great purge in the late 1930s, which had not ended by the time of the german invasion on 22 june 1941, much of the officer corps of the red army was executed or imprisoned. many of their replacements, appointed by stalin for political reasons, lacked military competence.[135][136][137] of the five marshals of the soviet union appointed in 1935, only kliment voroshilov and semyon budyonny survived stalin's purge. tukhachevsky was killed in 1937. fifteen of 16 army commanders, 50 of the 57 corps commanders, 154 of the 186 divisional commanders, and 401 of 456 colonels were killed, and many other officers were dismissed.[137] in total, about 30,000 red army personnel were executed.[138] stalin further underscored his control by reasserting the role of political commissars at the divisional level and below to oversee the political loyalty of the army to the regime. the commissars held a position equal to that of the commander of the unit they were overseeing.[137] but in spite of efforts to ensure the political subservience of the armed forces, in the wake of red army's poor performance in poland and in the winter war, about 80 percent of the officers dismissed during the great purge were reinstated by 1941. also, between january 1939 and may 1941, 161 new divisions were activated.[139][140] therefore, although about 75 percent of all the officers had been in their position for less than one year at the start of the german invasion of 1941, many of the short tenures can be attributed not only to the purge but also to the rapid increase in the creation of military units.[140] beginning in july 1940, the red army general staff developed war plans that identified the wehrmacht as the most dangerous threat to the soviet union, and that in the case of a war with germany, the wehrmacht's main attack would come through the region north of the pripyat marshes into belorussia,[141][132] which later proved to be correct.[141] stalin disagreed, and in october, he authorised the development of new plans that assumed a german attack would focus on the region south of pripyat marshes towards the economically vital regions in ukraine. this became the basis for all subsequent soviet war plans and the deployment of their armed forces in preparation for the german invasion.[141][142] in the soviet union, speaking to his generals in december 1940, stalin mentioned hitler's references to an attack on the soviet union in mein kampf and hitler's belief that the red army would need four years to ready itself. stalin declared "we must be ready much earlier" and "we will try to delay the war for another two years".[143] as early as august 1940, british intelligence had received hints of german plans to attack the soviets a week after hitler informally approved the plans for barbarossa and warned the soviet union accordingly.[144] some of this intelligence was based on ultra information obtained from broken enigma traffic.[145] but stalin's distrust of the british led him to ignore their warnings in the belief that they were a trick designed to bring the soviet union into the war on their side.[144][146] soviet intelligence also received word of an invasion around 20 june from mao zedong whose spy, yan baohang, had overheard talk of the plans at a dinner with a german military attaché and sent word to zhou enlai.[147] the chinese maintain the tipoff helped stalin make preparations, though little exists to confirm the soviets made any real changes upon receiving the intelligence.[147] in early 1941, stalin's own intelligence services and american intelligence gave regular and repeated warnings of an impending german attack.[148] soviet spy richard sorge also gave stalin the exact german launch date, but sorge and other informers had previously given different invasion dates that passed peacefully before the actual invasion.[149][150] stalin acknowledged the possibility of an attack in general and therefore made significant preparations, but decided not to run the risk of provoking hitler.[151] in early 1941, stalin authorised the state defence plan 1941 (dp 41), which along with the mobilisation plan 1941 (mp 41), called for the deployment of 186 divisions, as the first strategic echelon, in the four military districts[n] of the western soviet union that faced the axis territories; and the deployment of another 51 divisions along the dvina and dnieper rivers as the second strategic echelon under stavka control, which in the case of a german invasion was tasked to spearhead a soviet counteroffensive along with the remaining forces of the first echelon.[142] but on 22 june 1941 the first echelon contained 171 divisions,[152] numbering 2.6 2.9 million;[2][153] and the second strategic echelon contained 57 divisions that were still mobilising, most of which were still understrength.[154] the second echelon was undetected by german intelligence until days after the invasion commenced, in most cases only when german ground forces encountered them.[154] at the start of the invasion, the manpower of the soviet military force that had been mobilised was 5.3 5.5 million,[2][155] and it was still increasing as the soviet reserve force of 14 million, with at least basic military training, continued to mobilise.[156][157] the red army was dispersed and still preparing when the invasion commenced.[158] their units were often separated and lacked adequate transportation. while transportation remained insufficient for red army forces, when operation barbarossa kicked off, they possessed some 33,000 pieces of artillery, a number far greater than the germans had at their disposal.[159][o] the soviet union had around 23,000 tanks available of which 14,700 were combat ready.[161] around 11,000 tanks were in the western military districts that faced the german invasion force.[11] hitler later declared to some of his generals, "if i had known about the russian tank strength in 1941 i would not have attacked".[162] however, maintenance and readiness standards were very poor; ammunition and radios were in short supply, and many armoured units lacked the trucks for supplies.[163][164] the most advanced soviet tank models the kv 1 and t 34 which were superior to all current german tanks, as well as all designs still in development as of the summer 1941,[165] were not available in large numbers at the time the invasion commenced.[166] furthermore, in the autumn of 1939, the soviets disbanded their mechanised corps and partly dispersed their tanks to infantry divisions;[167] but following their observation of the german campaign in france, in late 1940 they began to reorganise most of their armoured assets back into mechanised corps with a target strength of 1,031 tanks each.[139] but these large armoured formations were unwieldy, and moreover they were spread out in scattered garrisons, with their subordinate divisions up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) apart.[139] the reorganisation was still in progress and incomplete when barbarossa commenced.[168][167] soviet tank units were rarely well equipped, and they lacked training and logistical support. units were sent into combat with no arrangements in place for refuelling, ammunition resupply, or personnel replacement. often, after a single engagement, units were destroyed or rendered ineffective.[158] the soviet numerical advantage in heavy equipment was thoroughly offset by the superior training and organisation of the wehrmacht.[138] the soviet air force (vvs) held the numerical advantage with a total of approximately 19,533 aircraft, which made it the largest air force in the world in the summer of 1941.[169] about 7,133 9,100 of these were deployed in the five western military districts,[n][169][11][12] and an additional 1,445 were under naval control.[170] historians have debated whether stalin was planning an invasion of german territory in the summer of 1941. the debate began in the late 1980s when viktor suvorov published a journal article and later the book icebreaker in which he claimed that stalin had seen the outbreak of war in western europe as an opportunity to spread communist revolutions throughout the continent, and that the soviet military was being deployed for an imminent attack at the time of the german invasion.[172] this view had also been advanced by former german generals following the war.[173] suvorov's thesis was fully or partially accepted by a limited number of historians, including valeri danilov, joachim hoffmann, mikhail meltyukhov, and vladimir nevezhin, and attracted public attention in germany, israel, and russia.[174][175] it has been strongly rejected by most historians,[176][177] and icebreaker is generally considered to be an "anti soviet tract" in western countries.[178] david glantz and gabriel gorodetsky wrote books to rebut suvorov's arguments.[179] the majority of historians believe that stalin was seeking to avoid war in 1941, as he believed that his military was not ready to fight the german forces.[180] the debate on whether stalin intended to launch an offensive against germany in 1941 remains inconclusive but has produced an abundance of scholarly literature and helped to expand the understanding of larger themes in soviet and world history during the interwar period.[181] at around 01:00 on 22 june 1941, the soviet military districts in the border area[n] were alerted by nko directive no. 1, issued late on the night of 21 june.[193] it called on them to "bring all forces to combat readiness", but to "avoid provocative actions of any kind".[194] it took up to two hours for several of the units subordinate to the fronts to receive the order of the directive,[194] and the majority did not receive it before the invasion commenced.[193] a german communist deserter, alfred liskow, had crossed the lines at 21:00 on 21 june[p] and informed the soviets that an attack was coming at 04:00. stalin was informed, but apparently regarded it as disinformation. liskow was still being interrogated when the attack began.[196] on 21 june, at 13:00 army group north received the codeword "düsseldorf", indicating barbarossa would commence the next morning, and passed down its own codeword, "dortmund".[197] at around 03:15 on 22 june 1941, the axis powers commenced the invasion of the soviet union with the bombing of major cities in soviet occupied poland[198] and an artillery barrage on red army defences on the entire front.[193] air raids were conducted as far as kronstadt near leningrad and sevastopol in the crimea. at the same time the german declaration of war was presented by foreign minister joachim von ribbentrop. meanwhile, ground troops crossed the border, accompanied in some locales by lithuanian and ukrainian partisans.[199] roughly three million soldiers of the wehrmacht went into action and faced slightly fewer soviet troops at the border.[198] accompanying the german forces during the initial invasion were finnish and romanian units as well.[200] at around noon, the news of the invasion was broadcast to the population by soviet foreign minister vyacheslav molotov: "... without a declaration of war, german forces fell on our country, attacked our frontiers in many places ... the red army and the whole nation will wage a victorious patriotic war for our beloved country, for honour, for liberty ... our cause is just. the enemy will be beaten. victory will be ours!"[201][202] by calling upon the population's devotion to their nation rather than the party, molotov struck a patriotic chord that helped a stunned people absorb the shattering news.[201] within the first few days of the invasion, the soviet high command and red army were extensively reorganised so as to place them on the necessary war footing.[203] stalin did not address the nation about the german invasion until 3 july, when he also called for a "patriotic war... of the entire soviet people".[204] in germany, on the morning of 22 june, nazi propaganda minister joseph goebbels announced the invasion to the waking nation in a radio broadcast with hitler's words: "at this moment a march is taking place that, for its extent, compares with the greatest the world has ever seen. i have decided today to place the fate and future of the reich and our people in the hands of our soldiers. may god aid us, especially in this fight!"[205] later the same morning, hitler proclaimed to his colleagues, "before three months have passed, we shall witness a collapse of russia, the like of which has never been seen in history".[205] hitler also addressed the german people via the radio, presenting himself as a man of peace, who reluctantly had to attack the soviet union.[206] following the invasion, goebbels instructed that nazi propaganda use the slogan "european crusade against bolshevism" to describe the war; subsequently thousands of volunteers and conscripts joined the waffen ss.[207] the initial momentum of the german ground and air attack completely destroyed the soviet organisational command and control within the first few hours, paralyzing every level of command from the infantry platoon to the soviet high command in moscow.[208] moscow failed to grasp the magnitude of the catastrophe that confronted the soviet forces in the border area, and stalin's first reaction was disbelief.[209] at around 07:15, stalin issued nko directive no. 2, which announced the invasion to the soviet armed forces, and called on them to attack axis forces wherever they had violated the borders and launch air strikes into the border regions of german territory.[210] at around 09:15, stalin issued nko directive no. 3, signed by timoshenko, which now called for a general counteroffensive on the entire front "without any regards for borders" that both men hoped would sweep the enemy from soviet territory.[211][194] stalin's order, which timoshenko authorised, was not based on a realistic appraisal of the military situation at hand, but commanders passed it along for fear of retribution if they failed to obey; several days passed before the soviet leadership became aware of the enormity of the opening defeat.[211] luftwaffe reconnaissance units plotted soviet troop concentrations, supply dumps and airfields, and marked them down for destruction.[212] additional luftwaffe attacks were carried out against soviet command and control centres to disrupt the mobilisation and organisation of soviet forces.[213][214] in contrast, soviet artillery observers based at the border area had been under the strictest instructions not to open fire on german aircraft prior to the invasion.[109] one plausible reason given for the soviet hesitation to return fire was stalin's initial belief that the assault was launched without hitler's authorisation. significant amounts of soviet territory were lost along with red army forces as a result; it took several days before stalin comprehended the magnitude of the calamity.[215] the luftwaffe reportedly destroyed 1,489 aircraft on the first day of the invasion[216] and over 3,100 during the first three days.[217] hermann göring, minister of aviation and commander in chief of the luftwaffe, distrusted the reports and ordered the figure checked. luftwaffe staffs surveyed the wreckage on soviet airfields, and their original figure proved conservative, as over 2,000 soviet aircraft were estimated to have been destroyed on the first day of the invasion.[216] in reality, soviet losses were likely higher; a soviet archival document recorded the loss of 3,922 soviet aircraft in the first three days against an estimated loss of 78 german aircraft.[217][218] the luftwaffe reported the loss of only 35 aircraft on the first day of combat.[217] a document from the german federal archives puts the luftwaffe's loss at 63 aircraft for the first day.[219] by the end of the first week, the luftwaffe had achieved air supremacy over the battlefields of all the army groups,[218] but was unable to extend this air dominance over the vast expanse of the western soviet union.[220][221] according to the war diaries of the german high command, the luftwaffe by 5 july had lost 491 aircraft with 316 more damaged, leaving it with only about 70 percent of the strength it had at the start of the invasion.[222] on 22 june, army group north attacked the soviet northwestern front and broke through its 8th and 11th armies.[223] the soviets immediately launched a powerful counterattack against the german 4th panzer group with the soviet 3rd and 12th mechanised corps, but the soviet attack was defeated.[223] on 25 june, the 8th and 11th armies were ordered to withdraw to the western dvina river, where it was planned to meet up with the 21st mechanised corps and the 22nd and 27th armies. however, on 26 june, erich von manstein's lvi panzer corps reached the river first and secured a bridgehead across it.[224] the northwestern front was forced to abandon the river defences, and on 29 june stavka ordered the front to withdraw to the stalin line on the approaches to leningrad.[224] on 2 july, army group north began its attack on the stalin line with its 4th panzer group, and on 8 july captured pskov, devastating the defences of the stalin line and reaching leningrad oblast.[224] the 4th panzer group had advanced about 450 kilometres (280 mi) since the start of the invasion and was now only about 250 kilometres (160 mi) from its primary objective leningrad. on 9 july it began its attack towards the soviet defences along the luga river in leningrad oblast.[225] the northern section of army group south faced the southwestern front, which had the largest concentration of soviet forces, and the southern section faced the southern front. in addition, the pripyat marshes and the carpathian mountains posed a serious challenge to the army group's northern and southern sections respectively.[226] on 22 june, only the northern section of army group south attacked, but the terrain impeded their assault, giving the soviet defenders ample time to react.[226] the german 1st panzer group and 6th army attacked and broke through the soviet 5th army.[227] starting on the night of 23 june, the soviet 22nd and 15th mechanised corps attacked the flanks of the 1st panzer group from north and south respectively. although intended to be concerted, soviet tank units were sent in piecemeal due to poor coordination. the 22nd mechanised corps ran into the 1st panzer army's iii motorised corps and was decimated, and its commander killed. the 1st panzer group bypassed much of the 15th mechanised corps, which engaged the german 6th army's 297th infantry division, where it was defeated by antitank fire and luftwaffe attacks.[228] on 26 june, the soviets launched another counterattack on the 1st panzer group from north and south simultaneously with the 9th, 19th and 8th mechanised corps, which altogether fielded 1649 tanks, and supported by the remnants of the 15th mechanised corps. the battle lasted for four days, ending in the defeat of the soviet tank units.[229] on 30 june stavka ordered the remaining forces of the southwestern front to withdraw to the stalin line, where it would defend the approaches to kiev.[230] on 2 july, the southern section of army group south the romanian 3rd and 4th armies, alongside the german 11th army invaded soviet moldavia, which was defended by the southern front.[231] counterattacks by the front's 2nd mechanised corps and 9th army were defeated, but on 9 july the axis advance stalled along the defences of the soviet 18th army between the prut and dniester rivers.[232] in the opening hours of the invasion, the luftwaffe destroyed the western front's air force on the ground, and with the aid of abwehr and their supporting anti communist fifth columns operating in the soviet rear paralyzed the front's communication lines, which particularly cut off the soviet 4th army headquarters from headquarters above and below it.[233] on the same day, the 2nd panzer group crossed the bug river, broke through the 4th army, bypassed brest fortress, and pressed on towards minsk, while the 3rd panzer group bypassed most of the 3rd army and pressed on towards vilnius.[233] simultaneously, the german 4th and 9th armies engaged the western front forces in the environs of białystok.[234] on the order of the western front commander, dmitry pavlov, the 6th and 11th mechanised corps and the 6th cavalry corps launched a strong counterstrike towards grodno on 24 25 june in hopes of destroying the 3rd panzer group. however, the 3rd panzer group had already moved on, with its forward units reaching vilnius on the evening of 23 june, and the western front's armoured counterattack instead ran into infantry and antitank fire from the v army corps of the german 9th army, supported by luftwaffe air attacks.[233] by the night of 25 june, the soviet counterattack was defeated, and the commander of the 6th cavalry corps was captured. the same night, pavlov ordered all the remnants of the western front to withdraw to slonim towards minsk.[233] subsequent counterattacks to buy time for the withdrawal were launched against the german forces, but all of them failed.[233] on 27 june, the 2nd and 3rd panzer groups met near minsk and captured the city the next day, completing the encirclement of almost all of the western front in two pockets: one around białystok and another west of minsk.[235] the germans destroyed the soviet 3rd and 10th armies while inflicting serious losses on the 4th, 11th and 13th armies, and reported to have captured 324,000 soviet troops, 3,300 tanks, 1,800 artillery pieces.[236][237] a soviet directive was issued on 29 june to combat the mass panic rampant among the civilians and the armed forces personnel. the order stipulated swift, severe measures against anyone inciting panic or displaying cowardice. the nkvd worked with commissars and military commanders to scour possible withdrawal routes of soldiers retreating without military authorisation. field expedient general courts were established to deal with civilians spreading rumours and military deserters.[238] on 30 june, stalin relieved pavlov of his command, and on 22 july tried and executed him along with many members of his staff on charges of "cowardice" and "criminal incompetence".[239][240] on 29 june, hitler, through brauchitsch, instructed bock to halt the advance of the panzers of army group centre until the infantry formations liquidating the pockets caught up.[241] but guderian, with the tacit support of bock and halder, ignored the instruction and attacked on eastward towards bobruisk, albeit reporting the advance as a reconnaissance in force. he also personally conducted an aerial inspection of the minsk białystok pocket on 30 june and concluded that his panzer group was not needed to contain it, since hermann hoth's 3rd panzer group was already involved in the minsk pocket.[242] on the same day, some of the infantry corps of the 9th and 4th armies, having sufficiently liquidated the białystok pocket, resumed their march eastward to catch up with the panzer groups.[242] on 1 july, bock ordered the panzer groups to resume their full offensive eastward on the morning of 3 july. but brauchitsch, upholding hitler's instruction, and halder, unwillingly going along with it, opposed bock's order. however, bock insisted on the order by stating that it would be irresponsible to reverse orders already issued. the panzer groups resumed their offensive on 2 july before the infantry formations had sufficiently caught up.[242] during german finnish negotiations, finland had demanded to remain neutral unless the soviet union attacked them first. germany therefore sought to provoke the soviet union into an attack on finland. after germany launched barbarossa on 22 june, german aircraft used finnish air bases to attack soviet positions. the same day the germans launched operation rentier and occupied the petsamo province at the finnish soviet border. simultaneously finland proceeded to remilitarise the neutral åland islands. despite these actions the finnish government insisted via diplomatic channels that they remained a neutral party, but the soviet leadership already viewed finland as an ally of germany. subsequently, the soviets proceeded to launch a massive bombing attack on 25 june against all major finnish cities and industrial centres, including helsinki, turku and lahti. during a night session on the same day the finnish parliament decided to go to war against the soviet union.[243][244] finland was divided into two operational zones. northern finland was the staging area for army norway. its goal was to execute a two pronged pincer movement on the strategic port of murmansk, named operation silver fox. southern finland was still under the responsibility of the finnish army. the goal of the finnish forces was, at first, to recapture finnish karelia at lake ladoga as well as the karelian isthmus, which included finland's second largest city viipuri.[245][246] on 2 july and through the next six days, a rainstorm typical of belarusian summers slowed the progress of the panzers of army group centre, and soviet defences stiffened.[247] the delays gave the soviets time to organise a massive counterattack against army group centre. the army group's ultimate objective was smolensk, which commanded the road to moscow. facing the germans was an old soviet defensive line held by six armies. on 6 july, the soviets launched a massive counter attack using the v and vii mechanised corps of the 20th army,[248] which collided with the german 39th and 47th panzer corps in a battle where the red army lost 832 tanks of the 2,000 employed during five days of ferocious fighting.[249] the germans defeated this counterattack thanks largely to the coincidental presence of the luftwaffe's only squadron of tank busting aircraft.[249] the 2nd panzer group crossed the dnieper river and closed in on smolensk from the south while the 3rd panzer group, after defeating the soviet counterattack, closed on smolensk from the north. trapped between their pincers were three soviet armies. the 29th motorised division captured smolensk on 16 july yet a gap remained between army group centre. on 18 july, the panzer groups came to within ten kilometres (6.2 mi) of closing the gap but the trap did not finally close until 5 august, when upwards of 300,000 red army soldiers had been captured and 3,205 soviet tanks were destroyed. large numbers of red army soldiers escaped to stand between the germans and moscow as resistance continued.[250] four weeks into the campaign, the germans realised they had grossly underestimated soviet strength.[251] the german troops had used their initial supplies, and general bock quickly came to the conclusion that not only had the red army offered stiff opposition, but german difficulties were also due to the logistical problems with reinforcements and provisions.[252] operations were now slowed down to allow for resupply; the delay was to be used to adapt strategy to the new situation.[253] in addition to strained logistics, poor roads made it difficult for wheeled vehicles and foot infantry to keep up with the faster armoured spearheads, and shortages in boots and winter uniforms were becoming apparent. furthermore, all three army groups had suffered 179,500 casualties by 2 august, and had only received 47,000 replacements.[254] hitler by now had lost faith in battles of encirclement as large numbers of soviet soldiers had escaped the pincers.[253] he now believed he could defeat the soviet state by economic means, depriving them of the industrial capacity to continue the war. that meant seizing the industrial centre of kharkov, the donbas and the oil fields of the caucasus in the south and the speedy capture of leningrad, a major centre of military production, in the north.[255] halder, bock, and almost all the german generals involved in operation barbarossa argued vehemently in favour of continuing the all out drive toward moscow.[256][257] besides the psychological importance of capturing the soviet capital, the generals pointed out that moscow was a major centre of arms production, the centre of the soviet communications system and an important transport hub. intelligence reports indicated that the bulk of the remaining red army was deployed near moscow under timoshenko for the defence of the capital.[253] guderian was sent to hitler by bock and halder to argue their case for continuing the assault against moscow, but hitler issued an order through guderian (bypassing bock and halder) to send army group centre's tanks to the north and south, temporarily halting the drive to moscow.[258] convinced by hitler's argument, guderian returned to his commanding officers as a convert to the führer's plan, which earned him their disdain.[259] on 29 june, germany launched its effort to capture murmansk in a pincer attack. the northern pincer, conducted by mountain corps norway, approached murmansk directly by crossing the border at petsamo. however, in mid july after securing the neck of the rybachy peninsula and advancing to the litsa river the german advance was stopped by heavy resistance from the soviet 14th army. renewed attacks led to nothing, and this front became a stalemate for the remainder of barbarossa.[260][261] the second pincer attack began on 1 july with the german xxxvi corps and finnish iii corps slated to recapture the salla region for finland and then proceed eastwards to cut the murmansk railway near kandalaksha. the german units had great difficulty dealing with the arctic conditions. after heavy fighting, salla was taken on 8 july. to keep the momentum the german finnish forces advanced eastwards until they were stopped at the town of kayraly by soviet resistance. further south the finnish iii corps made an independent effort to reach the murmansk railway through the arctic terrain. facing only one division of the soviet 7th army it was able to make rapid headway. on 7 august it captured kestenga while reaching the outskirts of ukhta. large red army reinforcements then prevented further gains on both fronts, and the german finnish force had to go onto the defensive.[262][263] the finnish plan in the south in karelia was to advance as swiftly as possible to lake ladoga, cutting the soviet forces in half. then the finnish territories east of lake ladoga were to be recaptured before the advance along the karelian isthmus, including the recapture of viipuri, commenced. the finnish attack was launched on 10 july. the army of karelia held a numerical advantage versus the soviet defenders of the 7th army and 23rd army, so it could advance swiftly. the important road junction at loimola was captured on 14 july. by 16 july, the first finnish units reached lake ladoga at koirinoja, achieving the goal of splitting the soviet forces. during the rest of july, the army of karelia advanced further southeast into karelia, coming to a halt at the former finnish soviet border at mansila.[264][265] with the soviet forces cut in half, the attack on the karelian isthmus could commence. the finnish army attempted to encircle large soviet formations at sortavala and hiitola by advancing to the western shores of lake ladoga. by mid august the encirclement had succeeded and both towns were taken, but many soviet formations were able to evacuate by sea. further west, the attack on viipuri was launched. with soviet resistance breaking down, the finns were able to encircle viipuri by advancing to the vuoksi river. the city itself was taken on 29 august,[266] along with a broad advance on the rest of the karelian isthmus. by the beginning of september, finland had restored its pre winter war borders.[267][265] by mid july, the german forces had advanced within a few kilometers of kiev below the pripyat marshes. the 1st panzer group then went south, while the 17th army struck east and trapped three soviet armies near uman.[268] as the germans eliminated the pocket, the tanks turned north and crossed the dnieper. meanwhile, the 2nd panzer group, diverted from army group centre, had crossed the river desna with 2nd army on its right flank. the two panzer armies now trapped four soviet armies and parts of two others.[269] by august, as the serviceability and the quantity of the luftwaffe's inventory steadily diminished due to combat, demand for air support only increased as the vvs recovered. the luftwaffe found itself struggling to maintain local air superiority.[270] with the onset of bad weather in october, the luftwaffe was on several occasions forced to halt nearly all aerial operations. the vvs, although faced with the same weather difficulties, had a clear advantage thanks to the prewar experience with cold weather flying, and the fact that they were operating from intact airbases and airports.[271] by december, the vvs had matched the luftwaffe and was even pressing to achieve air superiority over the battlefields.[272] for its final attack on leningrad, the 4th panzer group was reinforced by tanks from army group centre. on 8 august, the panzers broke through the soviet defences. by the end of august, 4th panzer group had penetrated to within 48 kilometres (30 miles) of leningrad. the finns[q] had pushed southeast on both sides of lake ladoga to reach the old finnish soviet frontier.[274] the germans attacked leningrad in august 1941; in the following three "black months" of 1941, 400,000 residents of the city worked to build the city's fortifications as fighting continued, while 160,000 others joined the ranks of the red army. nowhere was the soviet levée en masse spirit stronger in resisting the germans than at leningrad where reserve troops and freshly improvised narodnoe opolcheniye units, consisting of worker battalions and even schoolboy formations, joined in digging trenches as they prepared to defend the city.[275] on 7 september, the german 20th motorised division seized shlisselburg, cutting off all land routes to leningrad. the germans severed the railroads to moscow and captured the railroad to murmansk with finnish assistance to inaugurate the start of a siege that would last for over two years.[276][277] at this stage, hitler ordered the final destruction of leningrad with no prisoners taken, and on 9 september, army group north began the final push. within ten days it had advanced within 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) of the city.[278] however, the push over the last 10 km (6.2 mi) proved very slow and casualties mounted, so hitler ordered that leningrad should not be stormed, but rather starved into submission. along these lines, the okh issued directive no. la 1601/41 on 22 september 1941, which accorded hitler's plans.[279] deprived of its panzer forces, army group centre remained static and was subjected to numerous soviet counterattacks, in particular the yelnya offensive, in which the germans suffered their first major tactical defeat since their invasion began; this red army victory also provided an important boost to soviet morale.[280] these attacks prompted hitler to concentrate his attention back to army group centre and its drive on moscow. the germans ordered the 3rd and 4th panzer armies to break off their siege of leningrad and support army group centre in its attack on moscow.[281][282] before an attack on moscow could begin, operations in kiev needed to be finished. half of army group centre had swung to the south in the back of the kiev position, while army group south moved to the north from its dnieper bridgehead.[283] the encirclement of soviet forces in kiev was achieved on 16 september. a battle ensued in which the soviets were hammered with tanks, artillery, and aerial bombardment. after ten days of vicious fighting, the germans claimed 665,000 soviet soldiers captured, although the real figure is probably around 220,000.[284] soviet losses were 452,720 men, 3,867 artillery pieces and mortars from 43 divisions of the 5th, 21st, 26th, and 37th soviet armies.[283] despite the exhaustion and losses facing some german units (upwards of 75 percent of their men) from the intense fighting, the massive defeat of the soviets at kiev and the red army losses during the first three months of the assault contributed to the german assumption that operation typhoon (the attack on moscow) could still succeed.[285] after operations at kiev were successfully concluded, army group south advanced east and south to capture the industrial donbas region and the crimea. the soviet southern front launched an attack on 26 september with two armies on the northern shores of the sea of azov against elements of the german 11th army, which was simultaneously advancing into the crimea. on 1 october, the 1st panzer army under ewald von kleist swept south to encircle the two attacking soviet armies. by 7 october, the soviet 9th and 18th armies were isolated and four days later they had been annihilated. the soviet defeat was total; 106,332 men captured, 212 tanks destroyed or captured in the pocket alone as well as 766 artillery pieces of all types.[286] the death or capture of two thirds of all southern front troops in four days unhinged the front's left flank, allowing the germans to capture kharkov on 24 october. kleist's 1st panzer army took the donbas region that same month.[286] in central finland, the german finnish advance on the murmansk railway had been resumed at kayraly. a large encirclement from the north and the south trapped the defending soviet corps and allowed xxxvi corps to advance further to the east.[287] in early september it reached the old 1939 soviet border fortifications. on 6 september the first defence line at the voyta river was breached, but further attacks against the main line at the verman river failed.[288] with army norway switching its main effort further south, the front stalemated in this sector. further south, the finnish iii corps launched a new offensive towards the murmansk railway on 30 october, bolstered by fresh reinforcements from army norway. against soviet resistance, it was able to come within 30 km (19 mi) of the railway, when the finnish high command ordered a stop to all offensive operations in the sector on 17 november. the united states of america applied diplomatic pressure on finland not to disrupt allied aid shipments to the soviet union, which caused the finnish government to halt the advance on the murmansk railway. with the finnish refusal to conduct further offensive operations and german inability to do so alone, the german finnish effort in central and northern finland came to an end.[289][290] germany had pressured finland to enlarge its offensive activities in karelia to aid the germans in their leningrad operation. finnish attacks on leningrad itself remained limited. finland stopped its advance just short of leningrad and had no intentions to attack the city. the situation was different in eastern karelia. the finnish government agreed to restart its offensive into soviet karelia to reach lake onega and the svir river. on 4 september, this new drive was launched on a broad front. albeit reinforced by fresh reserve troops, heavy losses elsewhere on the front meant that the soviet defenders of the 7th army were not able to resist the finnish advance. olonets was taken on 5 september. on 7 september, finnish forward units reached the svir river.[291] petrozavodsk, the capital city of the karelo finnish ssr, fell on 1 october. from there the army of karelia moved north along the shores of lake onega to secure the remaining area west of lake onega, while simultaneously establishing a defensive position along the svir river. slowed by winter's onset they nevertheless continued to advance slowly during the following weeks. medvezhyegorsk was captured on 5 december and povenets fell the next day. on 7 december, finland halted all offensive operations and went onto the defensive.[292][293] after kiev, the red army no longer outnumbered the germans and there were no more trained reserves directly available. to defend moscow, stalin could field 800,000 men in 83 divisions, but no more than 25 divisions were fully effective. operation typhoon, the drive to moscow, began on 30 september 1941.[294][295] in front of army group centre was a series of elaborate defence lines, the first centred on vyazma and the second on mozhaysk.[269] russian peasants began fleeing ahead of the advancing german units, burning their harvested crops, driving their cattle away, and destroying buildings in their villages as part of a scorched earth policy designed to deny to the nazi war machine needed supplies and foodstuffs.[296] the first blow took the soviets completely by surprise when the 2nd panzer group, returning from the south, took oryol, just 121 km (75 mi) south of the soviet first main defence line.[269] three days later, the panzers pushed on to bryansk, while the 2nd army attacked from the west.[297] the soviet 3rd and 13th armies were now encircled. to the north, the 3rd and 4th panzer armies attacked vyazma, trapping the 19th, 20th, 24th and 32nd armies.[269] moscow's first line of defence had been shattered. the pocket eventually yielded over 500,000 soviet prisoners, bringing the tally since the start of the invasion to three million. the soviets now had only 90,000 men and 150 tanks left for the defence of moscow.[298] the german government now publicly predicted the imminent capture of moscow and convinced foreign correspondents of an impending soviet collapse.[299] on 13 october, the 3rd panzer group penetrated to within 140 km (87 mi) of the capital.[269] martial law was declared in moscow. almost from the beginning of operation typhoon, however, the weather worsened. temperatures fell while there was continued rainfall. this turned the unpaved road network into mud and slowed the german advance on moscow.[300] additional snows fell which were followed by more rain, creating a glutinous mud that german tanks had difficulty traversing, which the soviet t 34, with its wider tread, was better suited to navigate.[301] at the same time, the supply situation for the germans rapidly deteriorated.[302] on 31 october, the german army high command ordered a halt to operation typhoon while the armies were reorganised. the pause gave the soviets, far better supplied, time to consolidate their positions and organise formations of newly activated reservists.[303][304] in little over a month, the soviets organised eleven new armies that included 30 divisions of siberian troops. these had been freed from the soviet far east after soviet intelligence assured stalin that there was no longer a threat from the japanese.[305] during october and november 1941, over 1,000 tanks and 1,000 aircraft arrived along with the siberian forces to assist in defending the city.[306] with the ground hardening due to the cold weather,[r] the germans resumed the attack on moscow on 15 november.[308] although the troops themselves were now able to advance again, there had been no improvement in the supply situation; only 135,000 of the 600,000 trucks that had been available on 22 june 1941 were available by 15 november 1941. ammunition and fuel supplies were prioritised over food and winter clothing, so many german troops looted supplies from local populations, but could not fill their needs.[309] facing the germans were the 5th, 16th, 30th, 43rd, 49th, and 50th soviet armies. the germans intended to move the 3rd and 4th panzer armies across the moscow canal and envelop moscow from the northeast. the 2nd panzer group would attack tula and then close on moscow from the south.[310] as the soviets reacted to their flanks, the 4th army would attack the centre. in two weeks of fighting, lacking sufficient fuel and ammunition, the germans slowly crept towards moscow. in the south, the 2nd panzer group was being blocked. on 22 november, soviet siberian units, augmented by the 49th and 50th soviet armies, attacked the 2nd panzer group and inflicted a defeat on the germans. the 4th panzer group pushed the soviet 16th army back, however, and succeeded in crossing the moscow canal in an attempt to encircle moscow.[311] on 2 december, part of the 258th infantry division advanced to within 24 km (15 mi) of moscow. they were so close that german officers claimed they could see the spires of the kremlin,[312] but by then the first blizzards had begun.[313] a reconnaissance battalion managed to reach the town of khimki, only about 8 km (5.0 mi) from the soviet capital. it captured the bridge over the moscow volga canal as well as the railway station, which marked the easternmost advance of german forces.[314] in spite of the progress made, the wehrmacht was not equipped for such severe winter warfare.[315] the soviet army was better adapted to fighting in winter conditions, but faced production shortages of winter clothing. the german forces fared worse, with deep snow further hindering equipment and mobility.[316][317] weather conditions had largely grounded the luftwaffe, preventing large scale air operations.[318] newly created soviet units near moscow now numbered over 500,000 men, who despite their inexperience, were able to halt the german offensive by 5 december due to superior defensive fortifications, the presence of skilled and experienced leadership like zhukov, and the poor german situation.[319] on 5 december, the soviet defenders launched a massive counterattack as part of the soviet winter counteroffensive. the offensive halted on 7 january 1942, after having pushed the german armies back 100 250 km (62 155 mi) from moscow.[320] the wehrmacht had lost the battle for moscow, and the invasion had cost the german army over 830,000 men.[321] with the failure of the battle of moscow, all german plans for a quick defeat of the soviet union had to be revised. the soviet counter offensives in december 1941 caused heavy casualties on both sides, but ultimately eliminated the german threat to moscow.[322][323] attempting to explain matters, hitler issued führer directive no. 39, which cited the early onset of winter and the severe cold as the primary reasons for the failed campaign,[324] whereas the main reasons were german military unpreparedness, poor intelligence of actual soviet strength, extensive logistical difficulties, high levels of attrition and heavy casualties, and overextension of german forces within the vast soviet territories.[325] on 22 june 1941, the heer as a whole had 209 divisions at its disposal, 163 of which were offensively capable. on 31 march 1942, less than one year after the invasion of the soviet union, the army was reduced to fielding 58 offensively capable divisions.[326] the red army's tenacity and ability to counter attack effectively took the germans as much by surprise as their own initial attack had the soviets. spurred on by the successful defence and in an effort to imitate the germans, stalin wanted to begin his own counteroffensive, not just against the german forces around moscow, but against their armies in the north and south.[327] anger over the failed german offensives caused hitler to relieve brauchitsch of command and in his place, hitler assumed personal control of the german army on 19 december 1941, a decision that would progressively prove fatal to germany's war effort and contribute to its eventual defeat.[328] the soviet union had suffered heavily from the conflict, losing huge tracts of territory, and vast losses in men and materiel. nonetheless, the red army proved capable of countering the german offensives, particularly as the germans began experiencing irreplaceable shortages in manpower, armaments, provisions, and fuel.[329] despite the rapid relocation of red army armaments production east of the urals and a dramatic increase of production in 1942, especially of armour, new aircraft types and artillery, the heer (german army) was able to mount another large scale offensive in june 1942, although on a much reduced front than the previous summer. hitler, having realised that germany's oil supply was severely depleted,[330] attempted to utilise army group south to capture the oil fields of baku in the new offensive, codenamed case blue.[331] again, the germans quickly overran great expanses of soviet territory, but they failed to achieve their ultimate goal of the oil fields of baku, culminating in their disastrous defeat at the battle of stalingrad in february 1943 and withdrawal from the caucasus.[332] by 1943, soviet armaments production was fully operational and increasingly outproducing the german war economy.[333] the final major german offensive in the eastern theatre of world war ii took place during july august 1943 with the launch of operation citadel, an assault on the kursk salient.[334] approximately one million german troops confronted a soviet force over 2.5 million strong. the soviets, well aware of the attack in advance and fully prepared for it, prevailed in the battle of kursk. following the german defeat, the soviets launched operation kutuzov, a counter offensive employing six million men along a 2,400 kilometre (1,500 mi) front towards the dnieper river as they drove the germans westwards.[335] employing increasingly ambitious and tactically sophisticated offensives, along with making operational improvements in secrecy and deception, by the summer of 1944, the red army was eventually able to regain much of the area previously conquered by the germans.[336] the destruction of army group centre, the outcome of operation bagration in 1944, proved to be a decisive success and additional soviet offensives against the german army groups north and south in the autumn of 1944 put the german war machine into further retreat.[337] by january 1945, what had been the eastern front was now controlled by the soviets, whose military might was aimed at the german capital of berlin.[338] hitler committed suicide on 30 april 1945 in order to avoid capture by the soviets, and the war in europe finally ended with the total defeat and capitulation of nazi germany in may 1945.[339] while the soviet union had not signed the geneva convention, germany had signed the treaty and was thus obligated to offer soviet pows humane treatment according to its provisions (as they generally did with other allied pows).[340] according to the soviets, they had not signed the geneva conventions in 1929 due to article 9 which, by imposing racial segregation of pows into different camps, contravened the soviet constitution.[341] article 82 of the convention specified that "in case, in time of war, one of the belligerents is not a party to the convention, its provisions shall nevertheless remain in force as between the belligerents who are parties thereto."[342] despite such mandates, hitler called for the battle against the soviet union to be a "struggle for existence" and emphasized that the soviet armies were to be "annihilated", a mindset that contributed to war crimes against soviet prisoners of war.[343] a memorandum from 16 july 1941, recorded by martin bormann, quotes hitler saying, "the giant [occupied] area must naturally be pacified as quickly as possible; this will happen at best if anyone who just looks funny should be shot".[344][345] conveniently for germany, the fact that the soviets failed to sign the convention played into their hands as they justified their behavior accordingly. even if the soviets had signed, it is highly unlikely that this would have stopped the nazis' genocidal policies towards combatants, civilians, and prisoners of war.[346] before the war, hitler had issued the notorious commissar order, which called for all soviet political commissars taken prisoner at the front to be shot immediately without trial.[347] german soldiers participated in these mass killings along with members of the ss einsatzgruppen, sometimes reluctantly, claiming "military necessity".[348][349] on the eve of the invasion, german soldiers were informed that their battle "demands ruthless and vigorous measures against bolshevik inciters, guerrillas, saboteurs, jews and the complete elimination of all active and passive resistance". collective punishment was authorised against partisan attacks; if a perpetrator could not be quickly identified, burning villages and mass executions were considered acceptable reprisals.[350] although the majority of german soldiers accepted these crimes as justified due to nazi propaganda, which depicted the red army as untermenschen, a few prominent german officers openly protested against them.[351] an estimated two million soviet prisoners of war died of starvation during barbarossa alone.[352] by the end of the war, 58 percent of all soviet prisoners of war had died in german captivity.[353] organised crimes against civilians, including women and children, were carried out on a huge scale by the german police and military forces, as well as the local collaborators.[354][355] under the command of the reich security main office, the einsatzgruppen killing squads conducted large scale massacres of jews and communists in conquered soviet territories. holocaust historian raul hilberg puts the number of jews murdered by "mobile killing operations" at 1,400,000.[356] the original instructions to kill "jews in party and state positions" were broadened to include "all male jews of military age" and then expanded once more to "all male jews regardless of age". by the end of july, the germans were regularly killing women and children.[357] on 18 december 1941, himmler and hitler discussed the "jewish question", and himmler noted the meeting's result in his appointment book: "to be annihilated as partisans". according to christopher browning, "annihilating jews and solving the so called 'jewish question' under the cover of killing partisans was the agreed upon convention between hitler and himmler".[358] in accordance with nazi policies against "inferior" asian peoples, turkmens were also persecuted. according to a post war report by prince veli kajum khan, they were imprisoned in concentration camps in terrible conditions, where those deemed to have "mongolian" features were murdered daily. asians were also targeted by the einsatzgruppen and were the subjects of lethal medical experiments and murder at a "pathological institute" in kiev.[359] hitler received reports of the mass killings conducted by the einsatzgruppen which were first conveyed to the rsha, where they were aggregated into a summary report by gestapo chief heinrich müller.[360] burning houses suspected of being partisan meeting places and poisoning water wells became common practice for soldiers of the german 9th army. at kharkov, the fourth largest city in the soviet union, food was provided only to the small number of civilians who worked for the germans, with the rest designated to slowly starve.[361] thousands of soviets were deported to germany for use as slave labour beginning in 1942.[362] the citizens of leningrad were subjected to heavy bombardment and a siege that would last 872 days and starve more than a million people to death, of whom approximately 400,000 were children below the age of 14.[363][364][365] the german finnish blockade cut off access to food, fuel and raw materials, and rations reached a low, for the non working population, of 4 ounces (110 g) (five thin slices) of bread and a little watery soup per day.[366] starving soviet civilians began to eat their domestic animals, along with hair tonic and vaseline. some desperate citizens resorted to cannibalism; soviet records list 2,000 people arrested for "the use of human meat as food" during the siege, 886 of them during the first winter of 1941 42.[365] the wehrmacht planned to seal off leningrad, starve out the population, and then demolish the city entirely.[277] rape was a widespread phenomenon in the east as german soldiers regularly committed violent sexual acts against soviet women.[367] whole units were occasionally involved in the crime with upwards of one third of the instances being gang rape.[368] historian hannes heer relates that in the world of the eastern front, where the german army equated russia with communism, everything was "fair game"; thus, rape went unreported unless entire units were involved.[369] frequently in the case of jewish women, they were murdered immediately after acts of sexual violence.[370] historian birgit beck emphasizes that military decrees, which served to authorise wholesale brutality on many levels, essentially destroyed the basis for any prosecution of sexual offenses committed by german soldiers in the east.[371] she also contends that detection of such instances was limited by the fact that sexual violence was often inflicted in the context of billets in civilian housing.[372] after the initiation of operation barbarossa, eastern europe was relentlessly plundered by nazi german forces. in 1943 alone, 9,000,000 tons of cereals, 2,000,000 t (2,000,000 long tons; 2,200,000 short tons) of fodder, 3,000,000 t (3,000,000 long tons; 3,300,000 short tons) of potatoes, and 662,000 t (652,000 long tons; 730,000 short tons) of meats were sent back to germany. during the course of the german occupation, some 12 million pigs and 13 million sheep were seized by nazi forces.[373] the value of this plunder is estimated at 4 billion reichsmarks. this relatively low number in comparison to the occupied nations of western europe can be attributed to the indiscriminate scorched earth policy pursued by nazi germany in the eastern front.[374] barbarossa was the largest military operation in history more men, tanks, guns and aircraft were deployed than in any other offensive.[375][376] the invasion opened the eastern front, the war's largest theatre, which saw clashes of unprecedented violence and destruction for four years and killed over 26 million soviet people, including about 8.6 million red army soldiers.[377] more died fighting on the eastern front than in all other fighting across the globe during world war ii.[378] damage to both the economy and landscape was enormous, as approximately 1,710 soviet towns and 70,000 villages were razed.[379] barbarossa and the subsequent german defeat changed the political landscape of europe, dividing it into eastern and western blocs.[380] the political vacuum left in the eastern half of the continent was filled by the ussr when stalin secured his territorial prizes of 1944 1945 and firmly placed the red army in bulgaria, romania, hungary, poland, czechoslovakia, and the eastern half of germany.[381] stalin's fear of resurgent german power and his distrust of his erstwhile allies contributed to soviet pan slavic initiatives and a subsequent alliance of slavic states.[382] the historians david glantz and jonathan house assert that barbarossa influenced not only stalin but subsequent soviet leaders, claiming it "colored" their strategic mindsets for the "next four decades".[s] as a result, the soviets instigated the creation of "an elaborate system of buffer and client states, designed to insulate the soviet union from any possible future attack".[383] in the ensuing cold war, eastern europe became a soviet sphere of influence, and western europe aligned itself with the united states.[384]
supported by contests to participate, submit your response here by june 21 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 3. the video, above, is from the times’s fun and timely quiz, “can you survive summer?,” one of the many curated free links for students we provide this week. by the learning network update, july 2: here are the winners for week 2. welcome to the second week of our 15th annual summer reading contest. every week for 10 weeks this summer we’re asking students “what got your attention in the new york times this week? why?” to participate in week 2, choose something to read, watch or listen to in the times and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. eastern on june 21. you can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2024, including articles, photos, essays, videos, podcasts or graphics. we hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a times subscription so, each week, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below. students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250 word comment or a 90 second video. please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the full rules and guidelines in our contest announcement before making your submissions. your responses will be read by new york times journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. we’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week. winners from week 2 will be announced by july 3. what did you read, watch or listen to in the times this week? you can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including in the athletic, or in the print paper in 2024, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free:

supported by we asked, “what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment?” students from around the world responded with powerful art and writing. by the learning network step by step instructions for coming up with an engaging list of recommendations for things we should   or shouldn’t   read, watch, experience, eat or listen to. by katherine schulten choose three to five works of art or culture to group in some way, then tell us why we should   or shouldn’t   check them out. contest dates: jan. 15 feb. 12, 2025. by the learning network for the second year in a row, we invite students to document the local, offline communities that interest them.