The H-2B program filing window opened at midnight EST on January 1st. The H-2B program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill seasonal nonagricultural jobs. The Department of Labor received 97,800 H-2B applications within the first FIVE MINUTES of the filing period. As we rang in the new year, those who were attempting to file H-2B labor certification applications via the Department of Labor’s iCERT portal were either kicked out of the system (timed out) or received error messages and were unable to file.
The overwhelming demand caused the iCERT system to crash. As of today, no LCAs can be filed for H-1Bs and the iCERT system cannot be accessed to retrieve certified LCAs. The iCERT system will not be re-opened until a 24-hour notice is given and the DOL website indicates that an update should not be expected until tomorrow. This suggests that we may not be able to submit LCAs until at least Friday, January 4th.
