Employers in the United States can once again submit applications for H-1B, H-2A, H-2B and PERM visa programs to hire foreign workers after the Department of Labor restored processing through its Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) confirmed that the platform is active and operational, enabling employers to file new applications, track pending cases, and move stalled filings towards decisions.

With the system back online, the Department has resumed processing requests for prevailing wages and labour certification determinations for both temporary and permanent employment.In its announcement, the department said, “The Office of Foreign Labor Certification’s (OFLC) Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system is now accessible and permits system users to prepare and submit new applications as well as submit and receive information associated with their applications pending a final determination.”It added, “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience as OFLC transitions back to full operational status.”

What is OFLC?

The OFLC handles the labour certification step that US employers must complete before hiring foreign workers under visa programs such as H-1B, H-2A, H-2B and PERM, according to ET. These applications are processed through the FLAG portal, which is the official online system used for filing, uploading supporting documents and monitoring application status. The portal also links to SeasonalJobs.dol.gov, where temporary positions certified under the H-2A and H-2B programmes are listed. With no OFLC approval, employers cannot move ahead with employment-based visa petitions to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The shutdown that halted processing earlier in the year occurred because federal funding lapsed, triggering a government-wide freeze on various operations. When the Department of Labor’s allocation expired around September 30, this year, the OFLC suspended activity and both the FLAG portal and SeasonalJobs.dol.gov went offline. During the outage, employers could not file new applications, update existing ones or submit labour condition applications, prevailing wage requests or PERM filings. The department clarified that the pause had no connection to its ongoing system modernisation as the halt was directly linked to the funding lapse.

Backlogs and more load—What can employers expect

Even before the shutdown, the agency was already facing a heavy queue. As of July 2025, applications submitted as early as March 2024 were still waiting to be reviewed. With services now restored, the OFLC has warned of slower turnaround times as it works through accumulated filings, ET reported.With the FLAG portal operational again, employers may resume filing labour condition applications for H-1B cases and PERM labour certifications. Those who already have submissions in progress should expect extended processing times until operations stabilise. The department has urged applicants to continue monitoring official OFLC channels for updates on system performance and processing timelines.