Exercise of Time-Limited Authority To Increase the Numerical Limitation for Second Half of FY 2022 for the H-2B Temporary Nonagricultural Worker Program and Portability Flexibility for H-2B Workers Seeking To Change Employers

AGENCY:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Employment and Training Administration and Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

ACTION:

Temporary rule.

SUMMARY:

The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, is exercising his time-limited Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 authority and again increasing the total number of noncitizens who may receive an H-2B nonimmigrant visa by authorizing the issuance of no more than 35,000 additional visas during the second half of FY 2022 for positions with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022, to those businesses that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm, as attested by the employer on a new attestation form. This number is in addition to the 20,000 H-2B visas authorized by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Labor in January of 2022 for petitions with start dates on or before March 31, 2022. In addition to making the additional 35,000 visas available under the FY 2022 time-limited authority, DHS is exercising its general H-2B regulatory authority to again provide temporary portability flexibility by allowing H-2B workers who are already in the United States to begin work immediately after an H-2B petition (supported by a valid temporary labor certification) is received by USCIS, and before it is approved.

DATES:

Effective dates: The amendments to title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations in this rule are effective from May 18, 2022 through May 18, 2025. The amendments to title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations in this rule are effective from May 18, 2022 through September 30, 2022, except for 20 CFR 655.66 which is effective from May 18, 2022 through September 30, 2025.

Petition dates: DHS will stop accepting petitions received after September 15, 2022. DHS will not approve any H-2B petition under the provisions related to the supplemental numerical allocation after September 30, 2022. The provisions related to portability are only available to petitioners and H-2B nonimmigrant workers initiating employment through the end of January 24, 2023.

Comment dates: The Office of Foreign Labor Certification within the U.S. Department of Labor will be accepting comments in connection with the new information collection Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6 associated with this rule until July 18, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit written comments on the new information collection Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6, identified by Regulatory Information Number (RIN) 1205-AC09 electronically by the following method:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions on the website for submitting comments.

Instructions: Include the agency's name and the RIN 1205-AC09 in your submission. All comments received will become a matter of public record and will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov. Please do not include any personally identifiable information or confidential business information you do not want publicly disclosed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Regarding 8 CFR parts 214 and 274a: Charles L. Nimick, Chief, Business and Foreign Workers Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Camp Springs, MD 20746; telephone 240-721-3000 (this is not a toll-free number).

Regarding 20 CFR part 655 and Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6: Brian D. Pasternak, Administrator, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave NW, Room N-5311, Washington, DC 20210, telephone (202) 693-8200 (this is not a toll-free number).

Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone numbers above via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1-877-889-5627 (TTY/TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary

II. Background

A. Legal Framework

B. H-2B Numerical Limitations Under the INA

C. FY 2022 Omnibus

D. Joint Issuance of the Final Rule

III. Discussion

A. Statutory Determination

B. Numerical Increase and Allocation of up to 35,000 Visas

C. Returning Workers

D. Returning Worker Exemption for up to 11,500 Visas for Nationals of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras (Northern Central American Countries) and Haiti

E. Business Need Standard—Irreparable Harm and FY 2022 Attestation

F. Portability

G. COVID-19 Worker Protections

H. DHS Petition Procedures

I. DOL Procedures

IV. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

A. Administrative Procedure Act

B. Executive Orders 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review) and 13563 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review)

C. Regulatory Flexibility Act

D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

E. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

F. Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice Reform)

G. Congressional Review Act

H. National Environmental Policy Act

I. Paperwork Reduction Act

I. Executive Summary

FY 2022 H-2B Supplemental Cap

With this temporary final rule (TFR), the Secretary of Homeland Security, following consultation with the Secretary of Labor, is authorizing the immediate release of an additional 35,000 H-2B visas for the second half of FY 2022 positions with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022, subject to certain conditions. The 35,000 visas are divided into two allocations, as follows:

• 23,500 visas limited to returning workers, regardless of country of nationality, in other words, those workers who were issued H-2B visas or held H-2B status in fiscal years 2019, 2020, or 2021; and
• 11,500 visas reserved for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (Northern Central American countries) and Haiti as attested by the petitioner (regardless of whether such nationals are returning workers).

To qualify for the FY 2022 supplemental cap provided by this temporary final rule, eligible petitioners must:

• Meet all existing H-2B eligibility requirements, including obtaining an approved temporary labor certification (TLC) from DOL before filing the Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with USCIS;
• Properly file the Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with USCIS on or before September 15, 2022, requesting an employment start date on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022;
• Submit an attestation affirming, under penalty of perjury, that the employer is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on the petition, and that they are seeking to employ returning workers only, unless the H-2B worker is a Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, or Haitian national and counted towards the 11,500 cap exempt from the returning worker requirement; and

• Agree to comply with all applicable labor and employment laws, including health and safety laws pertaining to COVID-19, as well as any rights to time off or paid time off to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations, or to reimbursement for travel to and from the nearest available vaccination site, and notify the workers in a language understood by the worker as necessary or reasonable, of equal access of nonimmigrants to COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination distribution sites.

Employers filing an H-2B petition 30 or more days after the certified start date on the TLC, must attest to engaging in the following additional steps to recruit U.S. workers:

• No later than 1 business day after filing the petition, place a new job order with the relevant State Workforce Agency (SWA) for at least 15 calendar days;
• Contact the nearest American Job Center serving the geographic area where work will commence and request staff assistance in recruiting qualified U.S. workers;
• Contact the employer's former U.S. workers, including those the employer furloughed or laid off beginning on January 1, 2020, and until the date the H-2B petition is filed, disclose the terms of the job order and solicit their return to the job;
• Provide written notification of the job opportunity to the bargaining representative for the employer's employees in the occupation and area of employment, or post notice of the job opportunity at the anticipated worksite if there is no bargaining representative;
• Hire any qualified U.S. worker who applies or is referred for the job opportunity until the later of either (1) the date on which the last H-2B worker departs for the place of employment, or (2) 30 days after the last date of the SWA job order posting; 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, by providing a copy of the job order and requesting assistance in recruiting qualified U.S. workers for the job opportunity.

Petitioners filing H-2B petitions under this FY 2022 supplemental cap must retain documentation of compliance with the attestation requirements for 3 years from the date the TLC was approved, and must provide the documents and records upon the request of DHS or DOL, as well as fully cooperate with any compliance reviews such as audits.

Through audits and investigations, both Departments have received evidence of employer non-compliance with the terms and conditions of the H-2B program, as well as violations of other labor and employment laws. USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) Headquarters found that instances of non-compliance encountered by field USCIS FDNS personnel could be parsed into four areas: (1) Failure to pay the promised wage; (2) failure to demonstrate irreparable harm; (3) failure to employ returning workers; and (4) failure to work at the listed location.

Such non-compliance can harm U.S. workers by undermining wages and working conditions. It also directly harms H-2B workers. Further, H-2B workers depend on ongoing employment with the petitioning employer to maintain status in the United States. This dependence creates a power imbalance between the employer and H-2B worker, making the H-2B worker particularly vulnerable to violations. Recognizing the substantial impact that non-compliance can have on both U.S. workers and H-2B workers, DHS and DOL intend to conduct a significant number of audits focusing on irreparable harm and other worker protection provisions. DHS will also subject employers that have committed labor law violations in the H-2B program to additional scrutiny in the supplemental cap petition process. This additional scrutiny is aimed at ensuring compliance with H-2B program requirements and obligations.

Specifically, falsifying information in H-2B program attestation(s) can result not only in penalties relating to perjury, but can also result in, among other things, a finding of fraud or willful misrepresentation; denial or revocation of the H-2B petition requesting supplemental workers; and debarment by DOL and DHS from the H-2B program and any other foreign labor programs administered by DOL. Falsifying information also may subject a petitioner/employer to other criminal penalties.

DHS will not approve H-2B petitions filed in connection with the FY 2022 supplemental cap authority on or after October 1, 2022.

H-2B Portability

In addition to exercising its time-limited authority to make additional FY 2022 H-2B visas available, DHS is again providing additional flexibilities to H-2B petitioners under its general programmatic authority by allowing nonimmigrant workers in the United States in valid H-2B status and who are beneficiaries of non-frivolous H-2B petitions received on or after July 28, 2022, or who are the beneficiaries of non-frivolous H-2B petitions that are pending as of July 28, 2022, to begin work with a new employer after an H-2B petition (supported by a valid TLC) is filed and before the petition is approved, generally for a period of up to 60 days. However, such employment authorization would end 15 days after USCIS denies the H-2B petition or such petition is withdrawn. This H-2B portability ends 180 days after the provision's effective date of July 28, 2022, in other words, after January 24, 2023.

II. Background

A. Legal Framework

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended, establishes the H-2B nonimmigrant classification for a nonagricultural temporary worker “having a residence in a foreign country which he has no intention of abandoning who is coming temporarily to the United States to perform . . . temporary [non-agricultural] service or labor if unemployed persons capable of performing such service or labor cannot be found in this country.” INA section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b), 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b). Employers must petition the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for classification of prospective temporary workers as H-2B nonimmigrants. INA section 214(c)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(1). Generally, DHS must approve this petition before the beneficiary can be considered eligible for an H-2B visa. In addition, the INA requires that “[t]he question of importing any alien as [an H-2B] nonimmigrant . . . in any specific case or specific cases shall be determined by [DHS], after consultation with appropriate agencies of the Government.” INA section 214(c)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(1). The INA generally charges the Secretary of Homeland Security with the administration and enforcement of the immigration laws, and provides that the Secretary “shall establish such regulations . . . and perform such other acts as he deems necessary for carrying out his authority” under the INA. See INA section 103(a)(1), (3), 8 U.S.C. 1103(a)(1), (3); see also 6 U.S.C. 202(4) (charging the Secretary with “[e]stablishing and administering rules . . . governing the granting of visas or other forms of permission . . . to enter the United States to individuals who are not a citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States”). With respect to nonimmigrants in particular, the INA provides that “[t]he admission to the United States of any alien as a nonimmigrant shall be for such time and under such conditions as the [Secretary] may by regulations prescribe.” INA section 214(a)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1184(a)(1); see also INA section 274A(a)(1) and (h)(3), 8 U.S.C. 1324a(a)(1) and (h)(3) (prohibiting employment of noncitizens not authorized for employment). The Secretary may designate officers or employees to take and consider evidence concerning any matter which is material or relevant to the enforcement of the INA. INA sections 287(a)(1), (b), 8 U.S.C. 1357(a)(1), (b) and INA section 235(d)(3), 8 U.S.C. 1225(d)(3).

Finally, under section 101 of HSA, 6 U.S.C. 111(b)(1)(F), a primary mission of DHS is to “ensure that the overall economic security of the United States is not diminished by efforts, activities, and programs aimed at securing the homeland.”

DHS regulations provide that an H-2B petition for temporary employment in the United States must be accompanied by an approved TLC from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), issued pursuant to regulations established at 20 CFR part 655, or from the Guam Department of Labor if the workers will be employed on Guam. 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iii)(A) and (C) through (E), (h)(6)(iv)(A) ; see also INA section 103(a)(6), 8 U.S.C. 1103(a)(6). The TLC serves as DHS's consultation with DOL with respect to whether a qualified U.S. worker is available to fill the petitioning H-2B employer's job opportunity and whether a foreign worker's employment in the job opportunity will adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly-employed U.S. workers. See INA section 214(c)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(1); 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iii)(A) and (D).

In order to determine whether to issue a TLC, the Departments have established regulatory procedures under which DOL certifies whether a qualified U.S. worker is available to fill the job opportunity described in the employer's petition for a temporary nonagricultural worker, and whether a foreign worker's employment in the job opportunity will adversely affect the wages or working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. See 20 CFR part 655, subpart A. The regulations establish the process by which employers obtain a TLC and rights and obligations of workers and employers.

Once the petition is approved, under the INA and current DHS regulations, H-2B workers do not have employment authorization outside of the validity period listed on the approved petition unless otherwise authorized, and the workers are limited to employment with the H-2B petitioner. See 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(1), 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(9). An employer or U.S. agent generally may submit a new H-2B petition, with a new, approved TLC, to USCIS to request an extension of H-2B nonimmigrant status for the validity of the TLC or for a period of up to 1 year. 8 CFR 214.2(h)(15)(ii)(C). Except as provided for in this rule, and except for certain professional athletes being traded among organizations, H-2B workers seeking to extend their status with a new employer may not begin employment with the new employer until the new H-2B petition is approved.

The INA also authorizes DHS to impose appropriate remedies against an employer for a substantial failure to meet the terms and conditions of employing an H-2B nonimmigrant worker, or for a willful misrepresentation of a material fact in a petition for an H-2B nonimmigrant worker. INA section 214(c)(14)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(14)(A). The INA expressly authorizes DHS to delegate certain enforcement authority to DOL. INA section 214(c)(14)(B), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(14)(B); see also INA section 103(a)(6), 8 U.S.C. 1103(a)(6). DHS has delegated its authority under INA section 214(c)(14)(A)(i), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(14)(A)(i) to DOL. See DHS, Delegation of Authority to DOL under Section 214(c)(14)(A) of the INA (Jan. 16, 2009); see also 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(ix) (stating that DOL may investigate employers to enforce compliance with the conditions of an H-2B petition and a DOL-approved TLC). This enforcement authority has been delegated within DOL to the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), and is governed by regulations at 29 CFR part 503.

B. H-2B Numerical Limitations Under the INA

The INA sets the annual number of noncitizens who may be issued H-2B visas or otherwise provided H-2B nonimmigrant status to perform temporary nonagricultural work at 66,000, to be distributed semi-annually beginning in October and April. See INA sections 214(g)(1)(B) and (g)(10), 8 U.S.C. 1184(g)(1)(B) and (g)(10). With certain exceptions, described below, up to 33,000 noncitizens may be issued H-2B visas or provided H-2B nonimmigrant status in the first half of a fiscal year, and the remaining annual allocation, including any unused nonimmigrant H-2B visas from the first half of a fiscal year, will be available for employers seeking to hire H-2B workers during the second half of the fiscal year. 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 for employment start dates beginning on or after the start of the next fiscal year.

In FYs 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2016, Congress exempted H-2B workers identified as returning workers from the annual H-2B cap of 66,000. A returning worker is defined by statute as an H-2B worker who was previously counted against the annual H-2B cap during a designated period of time. For example, Congress designated that returning workers for FY 2016 needed to have been counted against the cap during FY 2013, 2014, or 2015. DHS and the Department of State (DOS) worked together to confirm that all workers requested under the returning worker provision in fact were eligible for exemption from the annual cap (in other words, were issued an H-2B visa or provided H-2B status during one of the prior 3 fiscal years) and were otherwise eligible for H-2B classification.

Because of the strong demand for H-2B visas in recent years, the statutorily-limited semi-annual visa allocation, the DOL regulatory requirement that employers apply for a TLC 75 to 90 days before the start date of work, and the DHS regulatory requirement that all H-2B petitions be accompanied by an approved TLC, employers that wish to obtain visas for their workers under the semi-annual allotment must act early to receive a TLC and file a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). As a result, DOL typically sees a significant spike in TLC applications from employers seeking to hire H-2B temporary or seasonal workers prior to the United States' warm weather months. For example, in FY 2022, based on TLC applications filed during the 3-day filing window of January 1 through 3, 2022, DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) received a total of 7,875 H-2B applications requesting 136,555 worker positions with an April 1, 2022, or later, work start date. USCIS, in turn, received sufficient H-2B petitions to reach the second half of the fiscal year statutory cap by February 25, 2022. Though not as early as recent years, this date continues to reflect an ongoing trend of higher H-2B demand in the second half of the fiscal year compared to the statutorily authorized level. Congress, in recognition of historical and current demand: (1) Allowed for additional H-2B workers through the FY 2016 reauthorization of the returning worker cap exemption; and (2) for the last several fiscal years authorized supplemental caps under section 543 of Division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, Public Law 115-31 (FY 2017 Omnibus); section 205 of Division M of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, Public Law 115-141 (FY 2018 Omnibus); section 105 of Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, Public Law 116-6 (FY 2019 Omnibus); section 105 of Division I of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, Public Law 116-94 (FY 2020 Omnibus); section 105 of Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260 (FY 2021 Omnibus); and section 105 of Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, FY 2021 Omnibus, sections 101 and 106(3) of Division A of Public Law 117-43, Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022, and section 101 of Division A of Public Law 117-70, Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022 through February 18, 2022 (together, previous FY 2022 authority). The authorization for the current supplemental cap is under section 204 of Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103 (FY 2022 Omnibus), which is discussed below.

C. FY 2022 Omnibus

On March 15, 2022, President Joseph Biden signed the FY 2022 Omnibus which contains a provision, section 204 of Division O, Title II, permitting the Secretary of Homeland Security, under certain circumstances and after consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to increase the number of H-2B visas available to U.S. employers, notwithstanding the otherwise-established statutory numerical limitation set forth in the INA. Specifically, section 204 provides that “the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consultation with the Secretary of Labor, and upon the determination that the needs of American businesses cannot be satisfied in [FY] 2022 with U.S. workers who are willing, qualified, and able to perform temporary nonagricultural labor,” may increase the total number of noncitizens who may receive an H-2B visa in FY 2022 by not more than the highest number of H-2B nonimmigrants who participated in the H-2B returning worker program in any fiscal year in which returning workers were exempt from the H-2B numerical limitation. The Secretary of Homeland Security has consulted with the Secretary of Labor, and this rule implements the authority contained in section 204.

Under the authority contained in section 204, DHS and DOL are jointly publishing this temporary final rule to authorize the issuance of no more than 35,000 additional visas through the end of the second half of FY 2022, to those businesses that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm, as attested by the employer on a new attestation form. The authority to approve H-2B petitions under this FY 2022 supplemental cap expires at the end of that fiscal year. Therefore, USCIS will not approve H-2B petitions filed in connection with this FY 2022 supplemental cap authority on or after October 1, 2022.

As noted above, since FY 2017, Congress has enacted a series of public laws providing the Secretary of Homeland Security with the discretionary authority to increase the H-2B cap beyond the annual numerical limitation set forth in section 214 of the INA. The previous statutory provisions were materially identical to section 204 of the FY 2022 Omnibus, which is the same authority provided for FY 2022 by the recent continuing resolutions. During each fiscal year from FY 2017 through FY 2019, as well as during FY 2021 and in the first half of FY 2022, the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consulting with the Secretary of Labor, determined that the needs of some American businesses could not be satisfied in such year with U.S. workers who were willing, qualified, and able to perform temporary nonagricultural labor. On the basis of these determinations, on July 19, 2017, and May 31, 2018, DHS and DOL jointly published temporary final rules for FY 2017 and FY 2018, respectively, each of which allowed an increase of up to 15,000 additional H-2B visas for those businesses that attested that if they did not receive all of the workers requested on the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129), they were likely to suffer irreparable harm, in other words, suffer a permanent and severe financial loss. A total of 12,294 H-2B workers were approved for H-2B classification under petitions filed pursuant to the FY 2017 supplemental cap increase. In FY 2018, USCIS received petitions for more than 15,000 beneficiaries during the first 5 business days of filing for the supplemental cap and held a lottery on June 7, 2018. The total number of H-2B workers approved toward the FY 2018 supplemental cap increase was 15,788. The vast majority of the H-2B petitions received under the FY 2017 and FY 2018 supplemental caps requested premium processing and were adjudicated within 15 calendar days.

On May 8, 2019, DHS and DOL jointly published a temporary final rule authorizing an increase of up to 30,000 additional H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2019. The additional visas were limited to returning workers who had been counted against the H-2B cap or were otherwise granted H-2B status in the previous 3 fiscal years, and for those businesses that attested to a level of need such that, if they did not receive all of the workers requested on the Form I-129, they were likely to suffer irreparable harm, in other words, suffer a permanent and severe financial loss. The Secretary determined that limiting returning workers to those who were issued an H-2B visa or granted H-2B status in the past 3 fiscal years was appropriate, as it mirrored the standard that Congress designated in previous returning worker provisions. On June 5, 2019, approximately 30 days after the supplemental visas became available, USCIS announced that it received sufficient petitions filed pursuant to the FY 2019 supplemental cap increase. USCIS did not conduct a lottery for the FY 2019 supplemental cap increase. The total number of H-2B workers approved towards the FY 2019 supplemental cap increase was 32,666. The vast majority of these petitions requested premium processing and were adjudicated within 15 calendar days.

Although Congress provided the Secretary of Homeland Security with the discretionary authority to increase the H-2B cap in FY 2020, the Secretary did not exercise that authority. DHS initially intended to exercise its authority and, on March 4, 2020, announced that it would make available 35,000 supplemental H-2B visas for the second half of fiscal year. On March 13, 2020, then-President Trump declared a National Emergency concerning COVID-19, a communicable disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. On April 2, 2020, DHS announced that the rule to increase the H-2B cap was on hold due to economic circumstances, and no additional H-2B visas would be released until further notice. DHS also noted that the Department of State had suspended routine visa services.

In FY 2021, although the COVID-19 public health emergency remained in effect, DHS in consultation with DOL determined it was appropriate to increase the H-2B cap for FY 2021 coupled with additional protections (for example, post-adjudication audits, investigations, and compliance checks), based on the demand for H-2B workers in the second half of FY 2021, as well as other factors that were occurring at that time, including the continuing economic growth, the improving job market, and increased visa processing capacity by the Department of State. Accordingly, on May 25, 2021, DHS and DOL jointly published a temporary final rule authorizing an increase of up to 22,000 additional H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2021. The supplemental visas were available only to employers that attested they were likely to suffer irreparable harm without the additional workers. The allocation of 22,000 additional H-2B visas under that rule consisted of 16,000 visas available only to H-2B returning workers from one of the last three fiscal years (FY 2018, 2019, or 2020) and 6,000 visas that were initially reserved for Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran nationals, who were exempt from the returning worker requirement. As of August 13, 2021, USCIS received enough petitions for returning workers to reach the additional 22,000 H-2B visas made available under the FY 2021 H-2B supplemental visa temporary final rule. The total number of H-2B workers approved towards the FY 2021 supplemental cap increase was 30,681. This total number included approved H-2B petitions for 23,876 returning workers, as well as 6,805 beneficiaries from the Northern Central American countries.

Similarly, earlier in FY 2022, DHS in consultation with DOL determined it was appropriate to increase the H-2B cap for FY 2022 positions with start dates on or before March 31, 2022, based on the demand for H-2B workers in the first half of FY 2022, continuing economic growth, increased labor demand, and increased visa processing capacity by the Department of State. Accordingly, on January 28, 2022, DHS and DOL jointly published a temporary final rule authorizing an increase of up to 20,000 additional H-2B visas for the first half of FY 2022. These supplemental visas were available only to employers that attested they were suffering or would suffer impending irreparable harm without the additional workers. The allocation of 20,000 additional H-2B visas under that rule consisted of 13,500 visas available only to H-2B returning workers from one of the last three fiscal years (FY 2019, 2020, or 2021) and 6,500 visas reserved for Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Haitian nationals, who were exempted from the returning worker requirement. As of March 31, 2022, the total number of H-2B workers approved towards the first half FY 2022 supplemental cap increase was 17,185, including 14,069 workers under the returning worker allocation, as well as 3,116 workers approved towards the Haitian/Northern Central American allocation.

DHS in consultation with DOL believes that it is appropriate to further increase the H-2B cap through the end of the second half of FY 2022 based on the demand for H-2B workers in the second half of FY 2022, recent and continuing economic growth, increased labor demand, and increased visa processing capacity by the Department of State. DHS and DOL also believe that it is appropriate to couple this cap increase with additional worker protections, as described below.

D. Joint Issuance of the Final Rule

As we did in FY 2017, FY 2018, FY 2019, FY 2021, and for the first half of FY 2022, DHS and DOL (the Departments) have determined that it is appropriate to jointly issue this temporary final rule. The determination to issue the temporary final rule jointly follows conflicting court decisions concerning DOL's authority to independently issue legislative rules to carry out its consultative and delegated functions pertaining to the H-2B program under the INA. Although DHS and DOL each have authority to independently issue rules implementing their respective duties under the H-2B program, the Departments are implementing the numerical increase in this manner to ensure there can be no question about the authority underlying the administration and enforcement of the temporary cap increase. This approach is consistent with rules implementing DOL's general consultative role under INA section 214(c)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(1), and delegated functions under INA sections 103(a)(6) and 214(c)(14)(B), 8 U.S.C. 1103(a)(6), 1184(c)(14)(B).

III. Discussion

A. Statutory Determination

Following consultation with the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that the needs of some U.S. employers cannot be satisfied for the remainder of FY 2022 with U.S. workers who are willing, qualified, and able to perform temporary nonagricultural labor. In accordance with section 204 of the FY 2022 Omnibus, the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that it is appropriate, for the reasons stated below, to raise the numerical limitation on H-2B nonimmigrant visas through the end of the second half of FY 2022 for positions with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022 up to 35,000 additional visas for those American businesses that attest that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm, in other words, a permanent and severe financial loss, without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their petition. These businesses must retain documentation, as described below, supporting this attestation.

As we did in connection with the FY 2021 and prior FY2022 H-2B supplemental visa temporary final rules, and consistent with existing authority, DHS and DOL intend to conduct a significant number of audits with respect to petitions filed under this TFR requesting supplemental H-2B visas, which may be selected at the discretion of the Departments, during the period of temporary need to verify compliance with H-2B program requirements, including the irreparable harm standard as well as other key worker protection provisions implemented through this rule. If an employer's documentation does not meet the irreparable harm standard, or if the employer fails to provide evidence demonstrating irreparable harm or comply with the audit process, this may be considered a substantial violation resulting in an adverse agency action on the employer, including revocation of the petition and/or TLC or program debarment. Of the audits completed so far, some audits conducted of employers that received visas under the supplemental caps in FY 2021 and the first half of FY 2022 revealed concerns surrounding documentation of irreparable harm, recruitment efforts, and compliance with the audit process, which may warrant further review and action.

The Secretary of Homeland Security has also again determined, as he did in FY 2021 and earlier in FY 2022, that for certain employers, additional recruitment steps are necessary to confirm that there are no qualified U.S. workers available for the positions. In addition, the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that the supplemental visas will be limited to returning workers, with the exception that up to 11,500 of the 35,000 visas will be exempt from the returning worker requirement and will be reserved for H-2B workers who are nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti. These H-2B visas are being reserved for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to once again further the objectives of E.O. 14010, which among other initiatives, instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to implement measures to enhance access to visa programs for nationals of the Northern Central American countries. DHS observed robust employer interest in response to the FY 2021 H-2B supplemental visa allocation for Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran nationals and the previous FY 2022 supplemental visa allocation for Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Haitian nationals, with USCIS approving petitions on behalf of 6,805 beneficiaries under the FY 2021 allocation, and 3,116 beneficiaries as of March 31, 2022, under the FY 2022 allocation for the first half of the fiscal year. In addition, DHS and the Biden administration have continued to conduct outreach efforts promoting the H-2B program, among others, as a lawful pathway for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti to work in the United States. The decision to again reserve an allocation of supplemental H-2B visas for these nationals, while providing an exemption from the returning worker requirement, will provide ongoing support for the President's vision of expanding access to lawful pathways for protection and opportunity for individuals from these countries.

Similar to the temporary final rules for the FY 2019, FY 2021 and previous FY 2022 supplemental caps, the Secretary of Homeland Security has also determined to limit the supplemental visas to H-2B returning workers, in other words, workers who were issued H-2B visas or were otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021, unless the employer indicates on the new attestation form that it is requesting workers who are nationals of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti and who are therefore counted towards the 11,500 allotment regardless of whether they are new or returning workers. If the 11,500 returning worker exemption cap for Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Haitian nationals has been reached and visas remain available under the returning worker cap, the petition would be rejected and any fees submitted returned to the petitioner. In such a case, a petitioner may continue to request workers who are nationals of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti, but the petitioner must file a new Form I-129 petition, with fee, and attest that these noncitizens will be returning workers, in other words, workers who were issued H-2B visas or were otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021. Like the temporary final rule for the first half of FY 2022, if the 11,500 returning worker exemption cap for nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti remains unfilled, DHS will not make unfilled visas reserved for Northern Central American countries and Haiti available to the general returning worker cap.

The Secretary of Homeland Security's determination to increase the numerical limitation is based, in part, on the conclusion that some businesses are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their petition. Members of Congress have informed the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Labor about the needs of some U.S. businesses for H-2B workers (after the statutory cap for the relevant half of the fiscal year has been reached) and about the potentially negative impact on state and local economies if the cap is not increased. U.S. businesses, chambers of commerce, employer organizations, and state and local elected officials have also expressed concerns to the DHS and Labor Secretaries regarding the unavailability of H-2B visas after the statutory cap was reached.

After considering the full range of evidence and diverse points of view, the Secretary of Homeland Security has deemed it appropriate to take action to prevent further severe and permanent financial loss for those employers currently suffering irreparable harm and to avoid impending irreparable harm for other employers unable to obtain H-2B workers under the statutory cap, including potential wage and job losses by their U.S. workers, as well as other adverse downstream economic effects. At the same time, the Secretary of Homeland Security believes it is appropriate to condition receipt of supplemental visas on adherence to additional worker protections, as discussed below.

The decision to afford the benefits of this temporary cap increase to U.S. businesses that need H-2B workers because they are suffering irreparable harm already or will suffer impending irreparable harm, and that will comply with additional worker protections, rather than applying the cap increase to any and all businesses seeking temporary workers, is consistent with DHS's time-limited authority to increase the cap, as explained below. The Secretary of Homeland Security, in implementing section 204 and determining the scope of any such increase, has broad discretion, following consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to identify the business needs that are most relevant, while bearing in mind the need to protect U.S. workers. Within that context, for the below reasons, the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined to allow an overall increase of up to 35,000 additional visas, for positions with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022, solely for the businesses facing permanent, severe financial loss or those who will face such loss in the near future.

First, DHS interprets section 204's reference to “the needs of American businesses” as describing a need different from the need ordinarily required of employers in petitioning for an H-2B worker. Under the generally applicable H-2B program, each individual H-2B employer must demonstrate that it has a temporary need for the services or labor for which it seeks to hire H-2B workers. See 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(ii); 20 CFR 655.6. The use of the phrase “needs of American businesses,” which is not found in INA section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b), 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b), or the regulations governing the standard H-2B cap, authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security in allocating additional H-2B visas under section 204 to require that employers establish a need above and beyond the normal standard under the H-2B program, that is, an inability to find sufficient qualified U.S. workers willing and available to perform services or labor and that the employment of the H-2B worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers, see 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(i)(A). DOL concurs with this interpretation.

Second, the approach set forth in this rule limits the increase in a way that is similar to the implementation of the supplemental caps in previous fiscal years, and provides protections against adverse effects on U.S. workers that may result from a cap increase, including, as in previous rules, requiring employers seeking H-2B workers under the supplemental cap to engage in additional recruitment efforts for U.S. workers. Additionally, the Secretary has determined that in the particular circumstances presented here, it is appropriate, within the limits discussed below, to tailor the availability of this temporary cap increase to those businesses that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm, in other words, those facing permanent and severe financial loss.

As noted above, to address the increased and, in some cases, impending need for H-2B workers in positions with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022, the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that employers may petition for supplemental visas on behalf of up to 23,500 workers who were issued an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021. The last 3 fiscal years' temporal limitation in the returning worker definition in this temporary rule mirrors the temporal limitation Congress imposed in previous returning worker statutes. Such workers (in other words, those who recently participated in the H-2B program and who now seek a new H-2B visa from DOS) have previously obtained H-2B visas and therefore have been vetted by DOS, would have departed the United States as generally required by the terms of their nonimmigrant admission, and therefore may obtain their new visas through DOS and begin work more expeditiously. DOS has informed DHS that, in general, H-2B visa applicants who are able to demonstrate clearly that they have previously abided by the terms of their status granted by DHS have a higher visa issuance rate when applying to renew their H-2B visas, as compared with the overall visa applicant pool from a given country. Furthermore, consular officers are authorized to waive the in-person interview requirement for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants, including certain H-2B applicants, who otherwise meet the strict limitations set out under INA section 222(h), 8 U.S.C. 1202(h). We note that DOS has, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded interview waiver eligibility to certain first-time H-2 applicants, potentially allowing such applicants to be processed with increased efficiency. However, there is no indication that this temporary measure will necessarily affect the overall visa issuance rates of applicants, which DOS has indicated is higher for returning workers who can demonstrate prior compliance with the program.

Limiting the supplemental cap to returning workers is beneficial because these workers have generally followed immigration law in good faith and demonstrated their willingness to return home when they have completed their temporary labor or services or their period of authorized stay, which is a condition of H-2B status. The returning worker condition therefore provides a basis to believe that H-2B workers under this cap increase will again abide by the terms and conditions of their visa or nonimmigrant status. The returning worker condition also benefits employers that seek to re-hire known and trusted workers who have a proven positive employment track record while previously employed as workers in this country. While the Departments recognize that the returning worker requirement may limit to an extent the flexibility of employers that might wish to hire non-returning workers, the requirement provides an important safeguard against H-2B abuse, which DHS considers to be a significant consideration.

In allocating up to 11,500 H-2B visas to nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti while making the remaining allocation of up to 23,500 H-2B visas available to qualified returning workers, irrespective of their country of nationality, this rule strikes a balance between furthering the U.S. foreign policy interests of creating a comprehensive, whole-of-government framework—of which this allocation is one piece—to address and manage migration from the Northern Central American countries and Haiti and addressing the needs of certain H-2B employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm. The United States has strong foreign policy interests in allocating up to 11,500 supplemental visas only to nationals of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti and exempting such persons from the returning worker requirement. The Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that both the 11,500 limitation and the exemption from the returning worker requirement for nationals of the Northern Central American countries is again beneficial in light of President Biden's February 2, 2021 E.O. 14010, which instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to implement measures to enhance access for nationals of the Northern Central American countries to visa programs, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, and to work toward addressing some of the causes of and managing migration throughout North and Central America. In response to this executive order, DHS seeks to promote and improve safety, security, and economic stability throughout the North and Central American region, and work with these countries to stem the flow of irregular migration in the region and enhance access to visa programs. Like the temporary final rule for the first half of FY 2022, DHS believes that including nationals of Haiti in this allocation of up to 11,500 supplemental visas will further promote and improve safety, security, and economic stability throughout this region, and is in the interests of the United States as a close partner and neighbor. As DHS emphasized in its November 10, 2021 Federal Register notice adding Haiti to the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs, sustainable development and the stability of Haiti is vital to the interests of the United States as a close partner and neighbor.

The exemption from the returning worker requirement recognizes the small numbers of individuals, approximately 4,750 per year, from the three Northern Central American countries and Haiti who were previously granted H-2B visas in recent years. Absent this exemption, there may be insufficient workers from these countries, which means that the rule might thereby fail to achieve its intended policy objective to provide additional temporary foreign workers for U.S. employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm, while also enhancing access to the H-2B visa classification for nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti.

Finally, like the temporary final rule for the first half of FY 2022 supplemental cap, this rule does not make available unfilled visas from the allocation for nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti to the general supplemental cap for returning workers. As with the supplemental cap for returning workers, USCIS will stop accepting petitions received under the allocation for the Northern Central American countries and Haiti after September 15, 2022. This end date should provide H-2B employers ample time, should they choose, to petition for, and bring in, workers under the allocation for the Northern Central American countries and Haiti. This, in turn, provides an opportunity for employers to contribute to our country's efforts to promote and improve safety, security and economic stability in these countries to help stem the flow of irregular migration to the United States.

For all petitions filed under this rule and the H-2B program, generally, employers must establish, among other requirements, that insufficient qualified U.S. workers are available to fill the petitioning H-2B employer's job opportunity and that the foreign worker's employment in the job opportunity will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of similarly-employed U.S. workers. INA section 214(c)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(1); 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iii)(A) and (D); 20 CFR 655.1. To meet this standard of protection for U.S. workers and, in order to be eligible for additional visas under this rule, employers must have applied for and received a valid TLC in accordance with 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iv)(A) and (D) and 20 CFR part 655, subpart A. Under DOL's H-2B regulations, TLCs are valid only for the period of employment certified by DOL and expire on the last day of authorized employment. 20 CFR 655.55(a).

In order to have a valid TLC, therefore, the employment start date on the employer's H-2B petition must not be different from the employment start date certified by DOL on the TLC. See 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iv)(D). Under generally applicable DHS regulations, the only exception to this requirement applies when an employer files an amended visa petition, accompanied by a copy of the previously approved TLC and a copy of the initial visa petition approval notice, at a later date to substitute workers as set forth under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(viii)(B). This rule also requires additional recruitment for certain petitioners, as discussed below.

In sum, this rule increases the FY 2022 numerical limitation by up to 35,000 visas for positions with start dates on or before September 30, 2022, but also restricts the availability of those additional visas by prioritizing only the most significant business needs, and limiting eligibility to H-2B returning workers, unless the worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti counted towards the 11,500 allocation that are exempt from the returning worker limitation. These provisions are each described in turn below.

B. Numerical Increase and Allocation of up to 35,000 Visas

The increase of up to 35,000 visas will help address the urgent needs of eligible employers for additional H-2B workers for those employers with employment needs for start dates on or before September 30, 2022. The determination to allow up to 35,000 additional H-2B visas reflects a balancing of a number of factors including the demand for H-2B visas for the second half of FY 2022; current economic conditions; the general trend of increased demand for H-2B visas from FY 2017 to FY 2021; H-2B returning worker data; the amount of time remaining for employers to hire and obtain H-2B workers in the fiscal year; concerns from Congress, state and local elected officials, U.S. businesses, chambers of commerce, and employer organizations expressing a need for additional H-2B workers; and the objectives of E.O. 14010. DHS believes the numerical increase both addresses the needs of U.S. businesses and, as explained in more detail below, furthers the foreign policy interests of the United States.

Section 204 of the FY 2022 Omnibus sets the highest number of H-2B returning workers who were exempt from the cap in certain previous years as the maximum limit for any increase in the H-2B numerical limitation for FY 2022. Consistent with the statute's reference to H-2B returning workers, in determining the appropriate number by which to increase the H-2B numerical limitation, the Secretary of Homeland Security focused on the number of visas allocated to such workers in years in which Congress enacted returning worker exemptions from the H-2B numerical limitation. During each of the years the returning worker provision was in force, U.S. employers' standard business needs for H-2B workers exceeded the statutory 66,000 cap. The highest number of H-2B returning workers approved was 64,716 in FY 2007. In setting the number of additional H-2B visas to be made available during the second half of FY 2022, DHS considered this number, overall indications of increased need, and the availability of U.S. workers, as discussed below. On the basis of these considerations, DHS determined that it would be appropriate to make available up to 35,000 additional visas under the FY 2022 supplemental cap authority. The Secretary further considered the objectives of E.O. 14010, which among other initiatives, instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to implement measures to enhance access to visa programs for nationals of the Northern Central American countries, as well as to address some of the root causes of and manage migration throughout both North and Central America, including Haiti, and determined that reserving up to 11,500 of the up to 35,000 additional visas and exempting this number from the returning worker requirement for nationals from the Northern Central American countries or Haiti would be appropriate.

In past years, the number of beneficiaries covered by H-2B petitions filed exceeded the number of additional visas allocated under recent supplemental caps. In FY 2018, USCIS received petitions for approximately 29,000 beneficiaries during the first 5 business days of filing for the 15,000 supplemental cap. USCIS therefore conducted a lottery on June 7, 2018, to randomly select petitions that would be accepted under the supplemental cap. Of the petitions that were selected, USCIS issued approvals for 15,672 beneficiaries. In FY 2019, USCIS received sufficient petitions for the 30,000 supplemental cap on June 5, 2019, but did not conduct a lottery to randomly select petitions that would be accepted under the supplemental cap. Of the petitions received, USCIS issued approvals for 32,717 beneficiaries. In FY 2021, USCIS received a sufficient number of petitions for the 22,000 supplemental cap on August 13, 2021, including a significant number of workers from Northern Central American countries. Of the petitions received, USCIS issued approvals for 30,681 beneficiaries, including approvals for 6,805 beneficiaries under the allocation for the nationals of the Northern Central American countries.

Data for the second half of FY 2022 clearly indicate an immediate need for additional supplemental H-2B visas through the end of FY 2022. As of March 31, 2022, DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) reports having approved 4,771 TLC applications with requested dates of need in the second half of FY 2022 for 79,947 H-2B workers. Furthermore, USCIS received a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to reach the second half of the FY 2022 fiscal year statutory cap on February 25, 2022.

In addition, although the public health emergency due to COVID-19 still exists, DHS believes that issuing additional H-2B visas is appropriate in the context of the nation's economic recovery from the ongoing pandemic. In March 2020, the U.S. labor market was severely affected by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing the national unemployment rate to near record levels and resulting in millions of U.S. workers being displaced from work.

In fiscal year 2021, approximately 88 percent of H-2B filings were for positions within just 5 sectors. NAICS 56 (Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services) accounted for 41.7% of filings, NAICS 71 (Accommodation and Food Services) accounted for 17.1%, NAICS 72 (Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation) accounted for 14.5%, NAICS 23 (Construction) accounted for 9.5%, and NAICS 11 (Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting) accounted for 5% of filings.

Within these industries, DOL data show increased labor demand over the last year. More specifically, DOL data from the March 29, 2022 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) show that the rate of job openings increased for all 5 industries between February 2021 and February 2022. The job opening rate for NAICS 56 increased from 6.7 to 8.7 while the job opening rate for NAICS 71 went from 8.0 to 8.5. The job opening rate for NAICS 72 went from 6.7 to 10.2 while the rate for NAICS 23 went from 3.4 to 4.8. The job opening rate for NAICS 11 increased from 3.5 to 5.4.

The increase in the job openings rate across these industries is a clear indication of increased labor demand within these industries. The Departments believe that the supplemental allocation of H-2B visas described in this temporary final rule will help to meet increased job openings in these industries.

Other economy-wide data also indicate that labor-market tightness exists. The most recent Employment Situation released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that the unemployment rate decreased to 3.6% in March 2022. Historically, the availability of H-2B visas addressed a need in the labor market during periods of lower unemployment, additionally, when the unemployment rate is below 6% there is greater variance of H-2B visas. Chart 1 shows that the estimated total H-2B visa issuance for Fiscal Year 2022 is within past allocations of this program. The data presented here is meant to provide additional context and to demonstrate that the total allocation of H-2B visas is reasonable given labor market conditions.

In addition, DOS announced in November 2021 that, as worldwide restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic begin to ease, and in line with the President's proclamation regarding the safe resumption of international travel, the Bureau of Consular Affairs is focusing on reducing wait times for all consular services at embassies and consulates overseas while also protecting health and safety of staff and applicants. To further streamline nonimmigrant visa processing, the Bureau of Consular Affairs used its authority to waive in-person visa interviews for certain H-2 applicants through December 31, 2022, and beyond 2022 for applicants renewing a visa in the same classification within 48 months of the visa's expiration. We note, however, that in response to continued concerns about COVID variants, including the highly contagious Omicron variant and its most common lineages, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated testing requirements for international air travel to the United States, which may have an impact on such travel. Given the level of demand for H-2B workers, the continued economic recovery, the continued and projected job growth, and the resumption of visa processing services, DHS believes it is appropriate to release additional visas at this time. Further, DHS believes that 35,000 is an appropriate number of visas for the reasons discussed above.

Finally, recognizing the high demand for H-2B visas, it is plausible that the additional H-2B supplemental allocations provided in this rule will be reached prior to the end of the fiscal year. Specifically, the following scenarios may still occur:

• The 23,500 supplemental cap visas limited to returning workers that will be immediately available for employers will be reached before September 15, 2022.
• The 11,500 supplemental cap visas limited to nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti will be reached before September 15, 2022.

DHS regulation, 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii)(E), reaffirms the use of the processes that are in place when H-2B numerical limitations under INA section 214(g)(1)(B) or (g)(10), 8 U.S.C. 1184(g)(1)(B) or (g)(10), are reached, as applicable to each of the scenarios described above that involve numerical limitations of the supplemental cap. Specifically, for each of the scenarios mentioned above, DHS will monitor petitions received, and make projections of the number of petitions necessary to achieve the projected numerical limit of approvals. USCIS will also notify the public of the dates that USCIS has received the necessary number of petitions (the “final receipt dates”) for each of these scenarios. The day the public is notified will not control the final receipt dates. Moreover, USCIS may randomly select, via computer-generated selection, from among the petitions received on the final receipt date the remaining number of petitions deemed necessary to generate the numerical limit of approvals for each of the scenarios involving numerical limitations to the supplemental cap. USCIS may, but will not necessarily, conduct a lottery if: The 23,500 supplemental cap visas for returning workers is reached before September 15, 2022; or the 11,500 visas limited to nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti is reached before September 15, 2022. Finally, similar to the processes applicable to the H-2B semi-annual statutory cap, if the final receipt date is any of the first 5 business days on which petitions subject to the applicable numerical limit may be received (in other words, if the numerical limit is reached on any one of the first 5 business days that filings can be made), USCIS will randomly apply all of the numbers among the petitions received on any of those 5 business days.

C. Returning Workers

Similar to the temporary increases in FY 2019, FY 2021, and the first half of FY 2022 the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that the supplemental visas should be granted to returning workers from the past 3 fiscal years, in order to meet the immediate need for H-2B workers, unless the H-2B worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti and is counted towards the separate 11,500 cap for such workers. The Secretary has determined that, for purposes of this program, H-2B returning workers include those individuals who were issued an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021. As discussed above, the Secretary determined that limiting returning workers to those who were issued an H-2B visa or granted H-2B status in the past three fiscal years is appropriate as it mirrors the standard that Congress designated in previous returning worker provisions. Returning workers have previously obtained H-2B visas and therefore been vetted by DOS, would have departed the United States as generally required by the terms of their nonimmigrant admission, and therefore may have a higher likelihood of success in obtaining their new visas through DOS, possibly without a required interview, and begin work more expeditiously.

To ensure compliance with the requirement that additional visas only be made available to returning workers, petitioners seeking H-2B workers under the supplemental cap will be required to attest that each employee requested or instructed to apply for a visa under the FY 2022 supplemental cap was issued an H-2B visa or otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021, unless the H-2B worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti and is counted towards the 11,500 cap. This attestation will serve as prima facie initial evidence to DHS that each worker, unless a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti who is counted against the 11,500 cap, meets the returning worker requirement. DHS and DOS retain the right to review and verify that each beneficiary is in fact a returning worker any time before and after approval of the petition or visa. DHS has authority to review and verify this attestation during the course of an audit or investigation, as otherwise discussed in this rule.

D. Returning Worker Exemption for Up to 11,500 Visas for Nationals of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras (Northern Central American Countries) and Haiti

As described above, the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that up to 11,500 additional H-2B visas will be limited to workers who are nationals of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti. These 11,500 visas will be exempt from the returning worker requirement. If the 11,500 visa limit has been reached and the 23,500 returning worker cap has not, petitioners may continue to request workers who are nationals of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti, but these noncitizens must be specifically requested as returning workers who were issued H-2B visas or were otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021.

DHS has determined that reserving 11,500 supplemental H-2B visas for nationals of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti—a number higher than the average annual number of visas issued to such persons in the past 7 fiscal years—will encourage U.S. employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm to seek out workers from such countries, while, at the same time, increase interest among nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti seeking a legal pathway for temporary employment in the United States. DHS also believes its outreach efforts with the governments of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti, along with efforts in some of these countries by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase access to the H-2B program, support the decision to provide a higher reservation of H-2B visas for these countries than it has in prior recent TFRs. USAID has worked to build government capacity in Northern Central America to facilitate access to temporary worker visas under the H-2 program. These efforts focus on systematic, orderly, and safe recruitment of workers, engagement with U.S. employers, and strengthening worker protections. In Fiscal Year 2021, USAID increased funding to expand capacity building activities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in response to the increased demand generated by the supplemental allocation of 6,000 H-2B visas for Northern Central American nationals included in the FY 2021 TFR. The acceleration of USAID's activities in FY 2021 likely helped increase uptake of H-2B visas issuance under the FY 2021 TFR, as H-2B visa issuances to Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Hondurans exceeded pre-pandemic levels by nearly 40 percent in FY 2021, and USAID's assistance helped reduce the average period of time to match qualified workers from these three countries to requests from U.S. employers—most significantly in Honduras, from 24 days to nine days. USAID's programs also strengthen worker protections by helping crowd out unethical recruiters and providing labor rights education and resources to seasonal workers.

DOS issued a combined total of approximately 26,630 H-2B visas to nationals of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti from FY 2015 through FY 2020, an average of approximately 4,400 per year. In FY 2021, DOS issued a combined total of more than 6,600 visas to nationals of Northern Central American countries. This increase is likely due in part to the additional H-2B visas made available to nationals of these countries by the FY 2021 H-2B supplemental visa temporary final rule. In addition, based in part on the vital U.S. interest of promoting sustainable development and the stability of Haiti, in November 2021, DHS added Haiti to the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs. Therefore, as previously stated, DHS has determined that the additional increase in FY 2022 will not only provide U.S. businesses who have been unable to find qualified and available U.S. workers with potential workers, but also promote further expansion of lawful immigration and lawful employment authorization for nationals of Northern Central American countries and Haiti.

While DHS reiterates the importance of limiting the general supplemental cap exclusively to returning workers, for the reasons stated previously, the Secretary has determined that the exemption from the returning worker requirement for nationals of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti is beneficial for the following reasons. It strikes a balance between furthering the U.S. foreign policy interests of expanding access to lawful pathways to nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti seeking economic opportunity in the United States and addressing the needs of certain H-2B employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm. This policy initiative would also support the strategies for the region described in E.O. 14010, which directs DHS to implement efforts to expand access to lawful pathways to the United States, including visa programs, as appropriate and consistent with the law through both protection-related and non-protection related programs. E.O. 14010 further directs relevant government agencies to create a comprehensive regional framework to address the causes of migration, and to manage migration throughout North and Central America. The availability of workers from the Northern Central American countries and Haiti may promote safe and lawful immigration to the United States, as well as help provide U.S. employers with additional labor from neighboring countries with whom the Biden administration and DHS have engaged in outreach efforts to promote the H-2B program.

Similar to the discussion above regarding returning workers, DOS will work with the relevant countries to facilitate consular interviews, as required, and channels for reporting incidents of fraud and abuse within the H-2 programs. Further, each country's own consular networks will maintain contact with the workers while in the United States and ensure the workers know their rights and responsibilities under the U.S. immigration laws, which are all valuable protections to the immigration system, U.S. employers, U.S. workers, and workers entering the country on H-2 visas.

Nothing in this rule will limit the authority of DHS or DOS to deny, revoke, or take any other lawful action with respect to an H-2B petition or visa application at any time before or after approval of the H-2B petition or visa application.

E. Business Need Standard—Irreparable Harm and FY 2022 Attestation

To file any H-2B petition under this rule, petitioners must meet all existing H-2B eligibility requirements, including having an approved, valid, and unexpired TLC. See 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6) and 20 CFR part 655, subpart A. In addition, the petitioner must submit an attestation to USCIS in which the petitioner affirms, under penalty of perjury, that it meets the business need standard. Petitioners must be able to establish that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm (that is, permanent and severe financial loss) without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their petition. The TLC process focuses on establishing whether a petitioner has a temporary need for workers and whether there are U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available to perform the temporary service or labor, and does not address the harm a petitioner is facing or will face in the absence of such workers; the attestation addresses this question. The attestation must be submitted directly to USCIS, together with Form I-129, the approved and valid TLC, and any other necessary documentation. As in the rules implementing the FY 2017, FY 2018, FY 2019, FY 2021, and first half FY 2022 temporary cap increases, employers will be required to complete the new attestation form which can be found at: https://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/form.cfm.

Prior to the first half FY 2022 temporary final rule, petitioners were only required to attest that they were likely to suffer irreparable harm if they were unable to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their I-129 petition submitted under H-2B cap increase rules. In the previous FY 2022 temporary final rule, the Departments changed the standard to require employers to instead attest that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on the petition filed under the rule. This change was designed to focus more directly on the actual irreparable harm employers are suffering or the impending irreparable harm they will suffer as a result of their inability to employ H-2B workers, rather than on just the possibility of such harm. This standard will be applied to the instant temporary final rule, and employers will again be required to attest that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on the petition filed under this rule.

As noted above, Congress authorized the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to increase the total number of H-2B visas available “upon the determination that the needs of American businesses cannot be satisfied” with U.S. workers under the statutory visa cap. The irreparable harm standard in this rule aligns with the determination that Congress requires DHS to make before increasing the number of H-2B visas available to U.S. employers. In particular, requiring employers to attest that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the requested H-2B workers is directly relevant to the needs of the business—if an employer is suffering or will suffer irreparable harm, then their needs are not being satisfied. The prior standard, on the other hand, required only that the employer attest that harm was likely to occur at some point in the future, which created uncertainty as to whether that employer's needs were truly unmet or would not be met without being able to employ the requested H-2B workers. Because the authority to increase the statutory cap is tied to the needs of businesses, the Departments think it is reasonable for employers to attest that they are suffering irreparable harm or that they will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their petition. If such employers are unable to attest to such harm and retain and produce (upon request) documentation of that harm, it calls into question whether their needs cannot in fact be satisfied without the ability to employ H-2B workers.

The “are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm” standard is also informed by the Departments' experiences in implementing the prior business need standard. In the Departments' experiences, the “likely to suffer irreparable harm” standard was difficult to assess and administer in the context of prior supplemental cap rules. For example, employers reported confusion with the standard, including some employers that were not able to provide adequate evidence of the prospective “likelihood of irreparable harm” when selected for an audit. The Departments therefore believe that asking employers to provide evidence of harm, as described in more detail later, that is occurring or is impending without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their petition is a better means of ensuring compliance.

The attestation form will serve as prima facie initial evidence to DHS that the petitioner's business is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm. Any petition requesting H-2B workers under this FY 2022 supplemental cap that is lacking the requisite attestation form may be rejected in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii) or denied in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(8)(ii), as applicable. Although this regulation does not require submission of evidence at the time of filing of the petition, other than an attestation, the employer must have such evidence on hand and ready to present to DHS or DOL at any time starting with the date of filing the I-129 petition, through the prescribed document retention period discussed below.

As with petitions filed under the FY 2021 and prior FY 2022 Supplemental TFRs, the Departments intend to select a significant number of petitions approved for audit examination to verify compliance with program requirements, including the irreparable harm standard and recruitment provisions implemented through this rule. Failure to provide evidence demonstrating irreparable harm or to comply with the audit process may be considered a substantial violation resulting in an adverse agency action on the employer, including revocation of the petition and/or TLC or program debarment. Similarly, failure to cooperate with any compliance review, evaluation, verification, or inspection conducted by DHS or DOL as required by 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii)(B)( 2 )( vi ) and ( vii ), respectively, may constitute a violation of the terms and conditions of an approved petition and lead to petition revocation under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(11)(iii)(A)( 3 ).

The attestation submitted to USCIS will also state that the employer meets all other eligibility criteria for the available visas, including the returning worker requirement, unless exempt because the H-2B worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti who is counted against the 11,500 visas reserved for such workers; will comply with all assurances, obligations, and conditions of employment set forth in the Application for Temporary Employment Certification (Form ETA 9142B and appendices) certified by DOL for the job opportunity (which serves as the TLC); will conduct additional recruitment of U.S. workers in accordance with the requirements of this rule and discussed further below; and will document and retain evidence of such compliance. Because the attestation will be submitted to USCIS as initial evidence with Form I-129, DHS considers the attestation to be evidence that is incorporated into and a part of the petition consistent with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(1). Accordingly, a petition may be denied or revoked, as applicable, based on or related to statements made in the attestation, including but not limited to the following grounds: (1) Because the employer failed to demonstrate employment of all of the requested workers is necessary under the appropriate business need standard; and (2) the employer failed to demonstrate that it requested and/or instructed that each worker petitioned for is a returning worker, or a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti, as required by this rule. Any denial or revocation on such basis, however, would be appealable under 8 CFR part 103, consistent with DHS regulations and existing USCIS procedures.

It is the view of the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Labor that requiring a post-TLC attestation to USCIS is the most practical approach, given the time remaining in FY 2022 and the need to assemble the necessary documentation. In addition, the employer is required to retain documentation, which must be provided upon request by DHS or DOL, supporting the new attestations regarding (1) the irreparable harm standard, (2) the returning worker requirement, or, alternatively, documentation supporting that the H-2B worker(s) requested is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti who is counted against the 11,500 (which may be satisfied by the separate Form I-129 that employers are required to file for such workers in accordance with this rule), and (3) a recruitment report for any additional recruitment required under this rule for a period of 3 years. See new 20 CFR 655.66. Although the employer must have such documentation on hand at the time it files the petition, the Departments have determined that, if employers were required to submit the attestation form to DOL before filing a petition with DHS, the attendant delays would render any visas unlikely to satisfy the needs of American businesses given TLC processing timeframes and the time remaining in this fiscal year. However, as noted above, the Departments will employ program integrity measures, including additional scrutiny by DHS of employers that have committed labor law violations in the H-2B program and continue to conduct audits, investigations, and/or post-adjudication compliance reviews on a significant number of H-2B petitions. As part of that process, USCIS may issue a request for additional evidence, a notice of intent to revoke, or a revocation notice, based on the review of such documentation, see 8 CFR 103.2(b) and 8 CFR 214.2(h)(11), and DOL's OFLC and WHD will be able to review this documentation and enforce the attestations during the course of an audit examination or investigation.

In accordance with the attestation requirements, under which petitioners attest that they meet the irreparable harm standard, that they are seeking to employ only returning workers (unless exempt as described above), and they meet the document retention requirements at new 20 CFR 655.66, the petitioner must retain documents and records fulfilling their responsibility to demonstrate compliance with this rule for 3 years from the date the TLC was approved, and must provide the documents and records upon the request of DHS or DOL. With regard to the irreparable harm standard, employers attesting that they are suffering irreparable harm must be able to provide concrete evidence establishing severe and permanent financial loss that is occurring; the scope and severity of the harm must be clearly articulable. Employers attesting that they will suffer impending irreparable harm must be able to demonstrate that severe and permanent financial loss will occur in the near future without access to the supplemental visas; it will not be enough to provide evidence suggesting that such harm may or is likely to occur; rather, the documentary evidence must show that impending harm will occur and document the form of such harm. Supporting evidence of the attestation may include, but is not limited to, the following types of documentation:

(1) Evidence that the business is suffering or will suffer in the near future permanent and severe financial loss due to the inability to meet financial or existing contractual obligations because they were unable to employ H-2B workers, including evidence of contracts, reservations, orders, or other business arrangements that have been or would be cancelled, and evidence demonstrating an inability to pay debts/bills;

(2) Evidence that the business is suffering or will suffer in the near future permanent and severe financial loss, as compared to prior years, such as financial statements (including profit/loss statements) comparing the employer's period of need to prior years; bank statements, tax returns, or other documents showing evidence of current and past financial condition; and relevant tax records, employment records, or other similar documents showing hours worked and payroll comparisons from prior years to the current year;

(3) Evidence showing the number of workers needed in the previous three seasons (FY 2019, 2020, and 2021) to meet the employer's need as compared to those currently employed or expected to be employed at the beginning of the start date of need. Such evidence must indicate the dates of their employment, and their hours worked (for example, payroll records) and evidence showing the number of H-2B workers it claims are needed, and the workers' actual dates of employment and hours worked; and/or

(4) Evidence that the petitioner is reliant on obtaining a certain number of workers to operate, based on the nature and size of the business, such as documentation showing the number of workers it has needed to maintain its operations in the past, or will in the near future need, including but not limited to: A detailed business plan, copies of purchase orders or other requests for good and services, or other reliable forecast of an impending need for workers.

(5) With respect to satisfying the returning worker requirement, evidence that the employer requested and/or instructed that each of the workers petitioned by the employer in connection with this temporary rule were issued H-2B visas or otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021, unless the H-2B worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti counted towards the 11,500 cap. Such evidence would include, but is not limited to, a date-stamped written communication from the employer to its agent(s) and/or recruiter(s) that instructs the agent(s) and/or recruiter(s) to only recruit and provide instruction regarding an application for an H-2B visa to those foreign workers who were previously issued an H-2B visa or granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021.

These examples are not exhaustive, nor will they necessarily establish that the business meets the irreparable harm or returning worker standards; petitioners may retain other types of evidence they believe will satisfy these standards. When a petition is selected for audit examination, or investigation, DHS or DOL will review all evidence available to it to confirm that the petitioner properly attested to DHS, at the time of filing the petition, that their business was suffering irreparable harm or would suffer impending irreparable harm, and that they petitioned for and employed only returning workers, unless the H-2B worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti counted towards the 11,500 cap, among other attestations. If DHS subsequently finds that the evidence does not support the employer's attestations, DHS may deny or, if the petition has already been approved, revoke the petition at any time consistent with existing regulatory authorities. DHS may also, or alternatively, refer to DOL for further investigation. In addition, DOL may independently take enforcement action, including by, among other things, debarring the petitioner from the H-2B program for not less than 1 year or more than 5 years from the date of the final agency decision, which also disqualifies the debarred party from filing any labor certification applications or labor condition applications with DOL for the same period set forth in the final debarment decision. See, e.g., 20 CFR 655.73; 29 CFR 503.20, 503.24.

To the extent that evidence reflects a preference for hiring H-2B workers over U.S. workers, an investigation by additional agencies enforcing employment and labor laws, such as the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, may also be warranted. See INA section 274B, 8 U.S.C. 1324b (prohibiting certain types of employment discrimination based on citizenship status or national origin). Moreover, DHS and DOL may refer potential discrimination to IER pursuant to applicable interagency agreements. See IER, Partnerships, https://www.justice.gov/crt/partnerships (last visited Mar. 29, 2022). In addition, if members of the public have information that a participating employer may be abusing this program, DHS invites them to notify USCIS by completing the online fraud tip form, https://www.uscis.gov/report-fraud/uscis-tip-form (last visited Mar. 29, 2022).

DHS, in exercising its statutory authority under INA section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b), 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b), and section 204 of the FY 2022 Omnibus, is responsible for adjudicating eligibility for H-2B classification. As in all cases, the burden rests with the petitioner to establish eligibility by a preponderance of the evidence. INA section 291, 8 U.S.C. 1361. Matter of Chawathe, 25 I&N Dec. 369, 375-76 (AAO 2010). Accordingly, as noted above, where the petition lacks initial evidence, such as a properly completed attestation, DHS may, as applicable, reject the petition in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii) or deny the petition in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(8)(ii). Further, where the initial evidence submitted with the petition contains inconsistencies or is inconsistent with other evidence in the petition and the underlying TLC, DHS may issue a Request for Evidence, Notice of Intent to Deny, or Denial in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(8). In addition, where it is determined that an H-2B petition filed pursuant to the FY 2022 Omnibus was granted erroneously, the H-2B petition approval may be revoked. See 8 CFR 214.2(h)(11).

Because of the particular circumstances of this regulation, and because the attestation and other requirements of this rule play a vital role in achieving the purposes of this rule, DHS and DOL intend that the attestation requirement, DOL procedures, and other aspects of this rule be non-severable from the remainder of the rule, including the increase in the numerical allocations. Thus, in the event the attestation requirement or any other part of this rule is enjoined or held invalid, the remainder of the rule, with the exception of the retention requirements being codified in new 20 CFR 655.66, is also intended to cease operation in the relevant jurisdiction, without prejudice to workers already present in the United States under this regulation, as consistent with law.

F. Portability

As an additional option for employers that cannot find U.S. workers, and as an additional flexibility for H-2B employees seeking to begin work with a new H-2B employer, this rule allows petitioners to immediately employ certain H-2B workers who are present in the United States in H-2B status without waiting for approval of the H-2B petition, generally for a period of up to 60 days. Such workers must be beneficiaries of a non-frivolous H-2B petition requesting an extension of stay received on or after July 28, 2022 but no later than 180 days after that date. Additionally, petitioners may immediately employ individuals who are beneficiaries of a non-frivolous H-2B petition requesting an extension of the worker's stay that is pending as of July 28, 2022 without waiting for approval of the H-2B petition. Specifically, the rule allows H-2B nonimmigrant workers to begin employment with a new H-2B employer or agent upon USCIS's receipt of a timely filed, non-frivolous H-2B petition, provided the worker was lawfully admitted to the United States and has not worked without authorization subsequent to such lawful admission. Since every H-2B petition must be accompanied by an approved TLC, all H-2B petitioners must have completed a test of the U.S. labor market, as a result of which DOL determined that there were no qualified U.S. workers available to fill these temporary positions.

The portability provision at new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(28)(iii)(A)( 1 )-( 2 ) is the same as the portability provision offered in the prior FY2022 H-2B supplemental visa temporary final rule, which was codified at 8 CFR 214.2(h)(27)(iii)(A)-(B), and will begin upon the expiration of that provision. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(28)(iii)(A)( 1 )-( 2 ). Additionally, the provision is similar to temporary flexibilities that DHS has used previously to improve employer access to noncitizen workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The employment authorization provided under this provision would end 15 days after USCIS denies the H-2B petition or such petition is withdrawn. This 15-day period of employment following an H-2B petition denial or withdrawal is consistent with prior H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rules, as well as with existing DHS regulations at 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(21), which allows certain E-Verify participants to employ H-2A workers immediately upon USCIS receipt of the H-2A petition without waiting for petition approval. DHS believes the 15-day period of employment under this rule's portability provision is appropriate, when a petition that has been filed on behalf of an H-2 worker is denied, given the passage of time between USCIS denial of the H-2B petition and the petitioner receiving notice of the denial. In addition, the provision is consistent with this temporary rule's goal of providing increased protections and flexibility for H-2B workers, as DHS believes immediate cessation of employment authorization under this provision for denied or withdrawn petitions may lead to undue hardship for noncitizens who would have only begun employment for a new H-2B employer, and who may have relocated to take on that employment opportunity.

The portability provision is in part intended to mitigate the harm that petitioners may experience resulting from the continuing COVID-19 pandemic by allowing petitioners to employ such H-2B workers so long as they were lawfully admitted to the United States and if they have not worked unlawfully after their admission. In the context of this rule, DHS believes this flexibility will help some U.S. employers address the challenges related to the limitations imposed by the cap, as well as due to the ongoing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to resulting in a devastating loss of life, the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 has impacted the United States in myriad ways, disrupting daily life, travel, and the operation of individual businesses and the economy at large. On January 31, 2020, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency dating back to January 27, 2020, under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d). This determination that a public health emergency exists due to COVID-19 has subsequently been renewed eight times: On April 21, 2020, on July 23, 2020, on October 2, 2020, on January 7, 2021, on April 15, 2021, on July 19, 2021, on October 15, 2021, and most recently on January 14, 2022. As well, on March 13, 2020, then-President Trump declared a National Emergency concerning the COVID-19 outbreak to control the spread of the virus in the United States. The proclamation declared that the emergency began on March 1, 2020. On February 18, 2022, President Biden issued a continuation of the National Emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 5, 2022, there have been over 513 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified globally, resulting in more than 6.2 million deaths. Approximately 80,758,644 cases have been identified in the United States, with about 422,261 new cases identified in the 7 days preceding May 5, 2022, and approximately 988,595 reported deaths due to the disease.

DOS temporarily suspended routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates on March 20, 2020, and subsequently announced a phased resumption of visa services in which it would continue to provide emergency and mission critical visa services and resume routine visa services as local conditions and resources allowed. Based on the importance of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker and H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker programs, DOS indicated it would continue processing H-2A and H-2B cases to the extent possible, as permitted by post resources and local government restrictions, and expanded the categories of H-2 visa applicants whose applications can be adjudicated without an in-person interview. Although routine visa services have resumed subject to local conditions and restrictions, and DOS has expanded visa interview waiver eligibility, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on visa processing at embassies and consulates around the world. And as noted above, continued concerns about COVID variants prompted updated testing requirements for international air travel to the United States, which may have an impact on such travel.

Further, due to the possibility that some H-2B workers may be unavailable due to travel restrictions, to include those intended to limit the spread of COVID-19, or visa processing delays or may become unavailable due to COVID-19 related illness, U.S. employers that have approved H-2B petitions or who will be filing H-2B petitions in accordance with this rule might not receive all of the workers requested to fill the temporary positions.

DHS is strongly committed not only to protecting U.S. workers and helping U.S. businesses receive the documented workers authorized to perform temporary nonagricultural services or labor that they need, but also to protecting the rights and interests of H-2B workers (consistent with Executive Order 13563 and in particular its reference to “equity,” “fairness,” and “human dignity”). In the FY 2020 DHS Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 116-94), Congress directed DHS to provide options to improve the H-2A and H-2B visa programs, to include options that would protect worker rights. DHS has determined that providing H-2B nonimmigrant workers with the flexibility of being able to begin work with a new H-2B petitioner immediately and avoid a potential job loss or loss of income while the new H-2B petition is pending, provides some certainty to H-2B workers who may have found themselves in situations that warrant a change in employers. Providing that flexibility is also equitable and fair.

Portability for H-2B workers provides these noncitizens with the option of not having to worry about job loss or loss of income between the time they leave a current employer and while they await approved employment with a new U.S. employer or agent. This flexibility (job portability) seeks to protect H-2B workers and also provide an alternative to H-2B petitioners who have not been able to find U.S. workers and who have not been able to obtain H-2B workers subject to the statutory or supplemental caps who have the skills to perform the job duties. In that sense as well, it is equitable and fair.

DHS is making this flexibility available for an additional 180-day period in order to provide stability for H-2B employers amidst continuing uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. This period is justified especially given the possible future impacts of COVID-19 variants and uncertainty regarding the duration of vaccine-gained immunity and how effective currently approved vaccines will be in responding to future COVID-19 variants. Evidence suggests some variants may spread more quickly and easily than others, and while some variants may emerge and disappear others may persist. DHS will continue to monitor the evolving health crisis caused by COVID-19 and may address it in future rules.

G. COVID-19 Worker Protections

It is the policy of DHS and its Federal partners to support equal access to the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites, irrespective of an individuals' immigration status. This policy promotes fairness and equity (see Executive Order 13563). Accordingly, DHS and DOL encourage all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) do not conduct enforcement actions at or near vaccine distribution sites or clinics. Consistent with DHS' protected areas policy, ICE and CBP generally do not carry out enforcement actions in or near protected areas, including at medical or mental healthcare facilities, such as a hospital, doctor's office, health clinic, vaccination or testing site, urgent care center, site that serves pregnant individuals, or community health center.

This TFR reflects that policy by providing as follows:

Supplemental H-2B Visas: With respect to petitioners who wish to qualify to receive supplemental H-2B visas pursuant to the FY 2022 Omnibus, the Departments are using the DOL Form ETA-9142-B—CAA-6 to support equal access to vaccines in two ways. First, the Departments are requiring such petitioners to attest on the DOL Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6 that, consistent with such petitioners' obligations under generally applicable H-2B regulations, they will comply with all Federal, State, and local employment-related laws and regulations, including, where applicable, health and safety laws and laws related to COVID-19 worker protections; 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. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii)(B)( 2 )( iv ) and 20 CFR 655.65(a)(4). Second, the Departments are requiring such petitioners to also attest that they will notify any H-2B workers approved under the supplemental cap, in a language understood by the worker as necessary or reasonable, that all persons in the United States, including nonimmigrants, have equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites. WHD has published a poster for employers' optional use for this notification. Because the attestation will be submitted to USCIS as initial evidence with Form I-129, DHS considers the attestation to be evidence that is incorporated into and a part of the petition consistent with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(1). Accordingly, a petition may be denied or revoked, as applicable, based on or related to statements made in the attestation, including, but not limited to, because the employer violated an applicable employment-related law or regulation, or failed to notify workers regarding equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites.

Other H-2B Employers: While there is no additional attestation with respect to H-2B petitioners that do not avail themselves of the supplemental H-2B visas made available under this rule, the Departments remind all H-2B employers that they must comply with all Federal, State, and local employment-related laws and regulations, including, where applicable, health and safety laws and laws related to COVID-19 worker protections; 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. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations would be contrary to the attestation 7 on ETA 9142B—Appendix B, and therefore may be a basis for DHS to revoke the petition under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(11)(iii)(A)( 3 ) for violating terms and conditions of the approved petition. This obligation is also reflected as a condition of H-2B portability under this rule. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(28)(iii)(B).

President Biden, in his speech to Joint Session of Congress on April 21, 2021, made the following statement: “[T]oday, I'm announcing a program to address [the issue of COVID vaccinations] . . . nationwide. I'm calling on every employer, large and small, in every state, to give employees the time off they need, with pay, to get vaccinated and any time they need, with pay, to recover if they are feeling under the weather after the shot.” More recently, President Biden reiterated his call on employers to provide paid time off to their employees to get booster shots. Consistent with the President's statements, the Departments strongly urge, but do not require, that all employers seeking H-2B workers under either the Supplemental Cap or portability sections of the TFR make every effort to ensure that all their workers, including nonimmigrant workers, be afforded an opportunity to take the time off needed to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as time off, with pay, to recover from any temporary side effect. In Proclamation 10294 of October 25, 2021, the President barred the entry of nonimmigrants into the United States via air transportation unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with certain exceptions. On January 22, 2022, similar requirements entered into force at land ports of entry and ferry terminals. The Departments therefore expect that H-2B nonimmigrants who enter the United States under this rule will generally be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The Departments note, however, that some H-2B nonimmigrants (such as nonimmigrants who are already in the United States) may not yet be vaccinated or may nonetheless be eligible for booster shots.

As noted, Executive Order 13563 refers to fairness, equity, and human dignity, and such efforts, on the part of employers, would be consistent with those commitments.

Petitioners otherwise are strongly encouraged to facilitate and provide flexibilities, to the greatest extent possible, to all workers who wish to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

H. DHS Petition Procedures

To petition for H-2B workers under this rule, the petitioner must file a Form I-129 in accordance with applicable regulations and form instructions, an unexpired TLC, and the attestation form described above. All H-2B petitions must state the nationality of all the requested H-2B workers, whether named or unnamed, even if there are beneficiaries from more than one country. See 8 CFR 214.2(h)(2)(iii). If filing multiple Forms I-129 based on the same TLC (for instance, one requesting returning workers and another requesting workers who are nationals of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti), each H-2B petition must include a copy of the TLC and reference all previously-filed or concurrently filed petitions associated with the same TLC. The total number of requested workers may not exceed the total number of workers indicated on the approved TLC. Petitioners seeking H-2B classification for nationals of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti under the 11,500 visa allocation that are exempt from the returning worker provision must file a separate Form I-129 for those nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti only. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii). In this regard, a petition must be filed with a single Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6 that clearly indicates that the petitioner is only requesting nationals from a Northern Central American country or Haiti who are exempt from the returning worker requirement. Specifically, if the petitioner checks Box #5 of Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6, then the petition accompanying that form must be filed only on behalf of nationals of one or more of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti, and not other countries. In such a case if the Form I-129 petition is requesting beneficiaries from countries other than Northern Central American countries or Haiti, then USCIS may reject, issue a request for evidence, notice of intent to deny, or denial, or, in the case of a non-frivolous petition, a partial approval limiting the petition to the number of beneficiaries who are from one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti. Requiring the filing of separate petitions to request returning workers and to request workers who are nationals of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti is necessary to ensure the operational capability to properly calculate and manage the respective additional cap allocations and to ensure that all corresponding visa issuances are limited to qualifying applicants, particularly when such petitions request unnamed beneficiaries or are relied upon for subsequent requests to substitute beneficiaries in accordance with 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(viii). The attestations must be filed on Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6, Attestation for Employers Seeking to Employ H-2B Nonimmigrant Workers Under Section 204 of Division O of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103. See new 20 CFR 655.65. Petitioners are required to retain a copy of such attestations and all supporting evidence for 3 years from the date the associated TLC was approved, consistent with 20 CFR 655.56 and 29 CFR 503.17. See new 20 CFR 655.66. Petitions submitted to DHS pursuant to the FY 2022 Omnibus will be processed in the order in which they were received within the relevant supplemental allocation, and pursuant to processes parallel to those in place for when numerical limitations are reached under INA section 214(g)(1)(B) or (g)(10), 8 U.S.C. 1184(g)(1)(B) or (g)(10).

Based on the time-limited authority granted to DHS by section 204 of the under the FY 2022 Omnibus, DHS is notifying the public that petitions seeking a visa under this rule may not be approved by USCIS on or after October 1, 2022. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii)(C).

Petitions pending with USCIS that are not approved before October 1, 2022 will be denied and any fees will not be refunded. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii)(C).

DHS believes that 15 days from the end of the fiscal year is the minimum time needed for petitions to be adjudicated, although USCIS cannot guarantee the time period will be sufficient in all cases. Therefore, even if the supplemental allocations provided in this rule have not yet been reached, USCIS will stop accepting petitions received after September 15, 2022. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xiii)(C). Such petitions will be rejected and the filing fees will be returned.

Petitioners may choose to request premium processing of their petitions under 8 CFR 103.7(e), which allows for expedited processing for an additional fee.

I. DOL Procedures

As noted above, all employers are required to have an approved and valid TLC from DOL in order to file a Form I-129 petition with DHS. See 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iv)(A) and (D). The standards and procedures governing the submission and processing of Applications for Temporary Employment Certification for employers seeking to hire H-2B workers are set forth in 20 CFR part 655, subpart A. An employer that seeks to hire H-2B workers must request a TLC in compliance with the application filing requirements set forth in 20 CFR 655.15 and meet all the requirements of 20 CFR part 655, subpart A, to obtain a valid TLC, including the criteria for certification set forth in 20 CFR 655.51. See new 20 CFR 655.65(a) and 655.50(b). Employers with an approved TLC have conducted recruitment, as set forth in 20 CFR 655.40 through 655.48, to determine whether U.S. workers are qualified and available to perform the work for which H-2B workers are sought.

The H-2B regulations require that, among other things, an employer seeking to hire H-2B workers in a non-emergency situation must file a completed Application for Temporary Employment Certification with the National Processing Center (NPC) designated by the OFLC Administrator no more than 90 calendar days and no fewer than 75 calendar days before the employer's date of need ( i.e., start date for the work). See 20 CFR 655.15.

Under 20 CFR 655.17, an employer may request a waiver of the time period(s) for filing an Application for Temporary Employment Certification based on “good and substantial” cause, provided that the employer has sufficient time to thoroughly test the domestic labor market on an expedited basis and the OFLC certifying officer (CO) has sufficient time to make a final determination as required by the regulation. To rely on this provision, as the Departments explained in the 2015 H-2B Interim Final Rule, the employer must provide the OFLC CO with detailed information describing the “good and substantial cause” necessitating the waiver. Such cause may include the substantial loss of U.S. workers due to Acts of God, or a similar unforeseeable human-made catastrophic event that is wholly outside the employer's control, unforeseeable changes in market conditions, or pandemic health issues. Thus, to ensure an adequate test of the domestic labor market and to protect the integrity of the H-2B program, the Departments clearly intended that use of emergency procedures must be narrowly construed and permitted in extraordinary and unforeseeable catastrophic circumstances that have a direct impact on the employer's need for the specific services or labor to be performed. Even under the existing H-2B statutory visa cap structure, DOL considers USCIS' announcement(s) that the statutory cap(s) on H-2B visas has been reached, which may occur with regularity every six months depending on H-2B visa need, as foreseeable, and therefore not within the meaning of “good and substantial cause” that would justify a request for emergency procedures. Accordingly, employers cannot rely solely on the supplemental H-2B visas made available through this rule as good and substantial cause to use emergency procedures under 20 CFR 655.17.

In addition to the recruitment already conducted in connection with a valid TLC, in order to ensure the recruitment has not become stale, employers that wish to obtain visas for their workers under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii), and who file an I-129 petition 30 or more days after the certified start date of work on the TLC must conduct additional recruitment for U.S. workers. This is particularly important as U.S. workers continue to reenter the workforce as they become vaccinated and boosted. As noted in the 2015 H-2B Interim Final Rule, U.S. workers seeking employment in temporary or seasonal nonagricultural jobs typically do not search for work months in advance, and cannot make commitments about their availability for employment far in advance of the work start date. See 80 FR 24041, 24061, 24071. Given that the temporary labor certification process generally begins 75 to 90 days in advance of the employer's start date of work, employer recruitment efforts typically occur between 40 and 60 days before that date with an obligation to provide employment to any qualified U.S. worker who applies until 21 days before the date of need. Therefore, employers with TLCs containing a start date of work on April 1, 2022, for example, likely conducted their positive recruitment beginning around late-January and ending around mid-February 2022, and continued to consider U.S. worker applicants and referrals only until March 11, 2022.

In order to provide U.S. workers a realistic opportunity to pursue jobs for which employers will be seeking foreign workers under this rule, the Departments have determined that if employers file an I-129 petition 30 or more days after their dates of need, they have not conducted recruitment recently enough for the DOL to reasonably conclude that there are currently an insufficient number of U.S. workers who are qualified, willing, and available to perform the work absent taking additional, positive recruitment steps. In previous rules, the Departments had set the point at which new recruitment must be conducted as being when an I-129 petition was filed 45 or more days after the approved date of need. Under this 45-day requirement, recruitment would have concluded 66 or more days prior to the filing of the I-129 petition as employers do not have an obligation to provide employment to U.S. workers 21 days before the start date of need and 45 or more days would have transpired after this date of need. After careful consideration, the Departments have determined that recruitment which concluded 66 or more days ( e.g., several months) prior to the filing of a visa petition does not adequately afford workers an opportunity to apply for jobs closer to when they tend to be searching for temporary jobs. Instead, we believe that a shortened 30-day requirement better aligns with this goal and the 2015 H-2B Interim Final Rule, which found that U.S. applicants applying for temporary positions typically offered by H-2B employers are often not seeking job opportunities, or making informed decisions about such work, several months in advance. See 80 FR 24041, 24071.

We also believe this change is in keeping with the intent of the 45-day requirement in the previous TFRs. Those rules have generally published in late May, meaning all visa petitions with an April 1 start date were filed with USCIS more than 45 days after the certified start date of need and additional recruitment would have been required. The economic analysis for this and the two previous TFRs assumed the number of employers that would need to conduct additional recruitment would be equal to the total number of anticipated filers for each TFR. See 86 FR 28223, 28224 and 87 FR 4753. The publication of this TFR in early May means this recruitment is limited to petitions that are submitted fewer than 45 days after the certified start date of need. By now requiring additional recruitment be conducted if the visa petition is submitted more than 30 days after the certified start date of need, the intent of the previous rules will be maintained even if the rule is published earlier than previous years. As such, to provide U.S. workers a better opportunity to access available job opportunities, we conclude it is prudent to shorten the time between the certified date of need and the filing of the I-129 visa petition which triggers the additional recruitment requirement.

An employer that files an I-129 petition under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii) fewer than 30 days after the certified start date of work on the TLC must submit the TLC and a completed Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6, but is not required to conduct recruitment for U.S. workers beyond the recruitment already conducted as a condition of certification. Only those employers with still-valid TLCs with a start date of work that is 30 or more days before the date they file a petition will be required to conduct recruitment in addition to that conducted prior to being granted labor certification and attest that the recruitment will be conducted, as follows.

Employers that are required to engage in additional recruitment must place a new job order for the job opportunity with the State Workforce Agency (SWA) serving the area of intended employment no later than the next business day after submitting an I-129 petition for H-2B workers to USCIS, and inform the SWA that the job order is being placed in connection with a previously submitted and certified Application for Temporary Employment Certification for H-2B workers by providing the SWA with the unique OFLC TLC case number.

The new job order must contain the job assurances and contents set forth in 20 CFR 655.18 for recruitment of U.S. workers at the place of employment, and remain posted for at least 15 calendar days. The employer must also follow all applicable SWA instructions for posting job orders and receive applications in all forms allowed by the SWA, including online applications. The Departments have concluded that keeping the job order posted for a period of 15 calendar days, during the period the employer is conducting the additional recruitment steps explained below, will effectively ensure U.S. workers are apprised of the job opportunity and are referred for employment, if they are willing, qualified, and available to perform the work. The 15 calendar day period also is consistent with the employer-conducted recruitment activity period applicable under 20 CFR 655.40(b).

Once the SWA places the new job order on its public labor exchange system, the SWA will perform its normal employment service activities by circulating the job order for intrastate clearance, and in interstate clearance by providing a copy of the job order to other SWAs with jurisdiction over listed worksites as well as those States the OFLC CO designated in the original Notice of Acceptance issued under 20 CFR 655.33. Where the occupation or industry is traditionally or customarily unionized, the SWA will also circulate a copy of the new job order to the central office of the State Federation of Labor in the State(s) in which work will be performed, and the office(s) of local union(s) representing workers in the same or substantially equivalent job classification in the area(s) in which work will be performed, consistent with its current obligation under 20 CFR 655.33(b)(5). To facilitate an effective dissemination of these job opportunities, DOL encourages union(s) or hiring halls representing workers in occupations typically used in the H-2B program to proactively contact and establish partnerships with SWAs in order to obtain timely information on available temporary job opportunities. This will aid the SWAs' prompt and effective outreach under the rule. DOL's OFLC maintains a comprehensive directory of contact information for each SWA at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/contact.

The employer also must conduct additional recruitment steps during the period of time the SWA is actively circulating the job order for intrastate clearance. First, the employer must contact, by email or other electronic means, the nearest American Job Center(s) (AJC) serving the area of intended employment where work will commence to request staff assistance to advertise and recruit U.S. workers for the job opportunity. AJCs bring together a variety of programs providing a wide range of employment and training services for U.S. workers, including job search services and assistance for prospective workers and recruitment services for employers through the Wagner-Peyser Program. Therefore, AJCs can offer assistance to employers with recruitment of U.S. workers, and contact with local AJCs will facilitate contemporaneous and effective recruitment activities that can broaden dissemination of the employer's job opportunity through connections with other partner programs within the One-Stop System to locate qualified U.S. workers to fill the employer's labor need. For example, the local AJC, working in concert with the SWA, can coordinate efforts to contact community-based organizations in the geographic area that serve potentially qualified workers or, when a job opportunity is in an occupation or industry that is traditionally or customarily unionized, the local AJC may be better positioned to identify and circulate the job order to appropriate local union(s) or hiring hall(s), consistent with 20 CFR 655.33(b)(5). In addition, as a partner program in the One-Stop System, AJCs are connected with the State's unemployment insurance program, thus an employer's connection with the AJC will help facilitate knowledge of the job opportunity to U.S. workers actively seeking employment. When contacting the AJC(s), the employer must provide staff with the job order number or, if the job order number is unavailable, a copy of the job order.

To increase navigability and to make the process as convenient as possible, DOL offers an online service for employers to locate the nearest local AJC at https://www.careeronestop.org/ and by selecting the “Find Local Help” feature on the main homepage. This feature will navigate the employer to a search function called “Find an American Job Center” where the city, state or zip code covering the geographic area where work will commence can be entered. Once entered and the search function is executed, the online service will return a listing of the name(s) of the AJC(s) serving that geographic area as well as a contact option(s) and an indication as to whether the AJC is a “comprehensive” or “affiliate” center. Employers must contact the nearest “comprehensive” AJC serving the area of intended employment where work will commence or, where a “comprehensive” AJC is not available, the nearest “affiliate” AJC. A “comprehensive” AJC tends to be a large office that offers the full range of employment and business services, and an “affiliate” AJC typically is a smaller office that offers a self-service career center, conducts hiring events, and provides workshops or other select employment services for workers. Because a “comprehensive” AJC may not be available in many geographic areas, particularly among rural communities, this rule permits employers to contact the nearest “affiliate” AJC serving the area of intended employment where a “comprehensive” AJC is not available. As explained on the locator website, some AJCs may continue to offer virtual or remote services due to the pandemic with physical office locations temporarily closed for in-person and mail processing services. Therefore, this rule requires that employers utilize available electronic methods for the nearest AJC to meet the contact and disclosure requirements in this rule.

Second, during the period of time the SWA is actively circulating the job order described in paragraph (a)(5)(i) of new 20 CFR 655.65 for intrastate clearance, the employer must make reasonable efforts to contact (by mail or other effective means) its former U.S. workers that it employed in the occupation at the place of employment (except those who were dismissed for cause or who abandoned the worksite) during the period beginning January 1, 2020, until the date the I-129 petition required under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii) is submitted. Among the employees the employer must contact are those who have been furloughed or laid off during this period. The employer must disclose to its former employees the terms of the job order, and solicit their return to the job. The contact and disclosures required by this paragraph must be provided in a language understood by the worker, as necessary or reasonable.

Furloughed employees are employees the employer laid off (as the term is defined in 20 CFR 655.5 and 29 CFR 503.4), but the layoff is intended to last for a temporary period of time. This recruitment step will help ensure notice of the job opportunity is disseminated broadly to U.S. workers who were laid off or furloughed during the COVID-19 outbreak and who may be seeking employment as the economy continues to recover and as more people are vaccinated. While this requirement goes beyond the requirement at 20 CFR 655.43, the Departments believe it is appropriate given the evolving conditions of the U.S. labor market, as described above, and the increased likelihood that qualified U.S. workers will make themselves available for these job opportunities.

Third, as the employer was required to do when initially applying for its labor certification, the employer must provide a copy of the job order to the bargaining representative for its employees in the occupation and area of intended employment, consistent with 20 CFR 655.45(a), or if there is no bargaining representative, post the job order in the places and manner described in 20 CFR 655.45(b).

When a job is in a traditionally or customarily unionized occupation or industry and during the time the SWA is actively circulating the job order, the employer must affirmatively contact the nearest American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) office covering the area of intended employment to provide written notice of the job opportunity and request assistance in recruiting qualified U.S. workers who may be interested in applying for the job opportunity. The employer must provide the AFL-CIO office (by mail, email, or other effective written means) a copy of the job order placed with the SWA. To determine which occupations are traditionally or customarily unionized, and to obtain information about the proper AFL-CIO office to contact, employers should search the resources available on the OFLC website, under the “Customarily Unionized H-2B Occupations” tab on the lefthand side of the OFLC homepage: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor.

When applicable, the employer must include information in its recruitment report confirming that the AFL-CIO office was contacted and notified in writing of the job opportunity or opportunities. In the recruitment report, the employer must state whether the nearest AFL-CIO office referred qualified U.S. worker(s), including the number of referrals, or indicate that it was non-responsive to the employer's requests. The employer must retain all documentation establishing that it has contacted the AFL-CIO office and submit all such information upon request from the Departments. Documentation or evidence that would help employers establish that the appropriate AFL-CIO office was contacted, may include, but is not limited to: Documentation proving the job order was shipped and delivered to the AFL-CIO office ( e.g., copy of the job order along with the certificate of shipment provided by the U.S. Postal Service or other courier mail or parcel delivery services and/or any other form of delivery confirmation); evidence confirming that the job order, along with a request for assistance to recruit workers, was in fact emailed to the appropriate AFL-CIO office ( e.g., copies of emails); phone records accompanied by proof of a follow-up email sending the job order to the appropriate AFL-CIO office; or copies of any correspondence exchanged ( e.g., letter, email) between the employer and the AFL-CIO office regarding worker referrals.

We believe the requirement that employers contact the AFL-CIO in occupations or industries that are traditionally or customarily unionized will complement the requirement that SWAs circulate the job order to the State Federation of Labor and local unions in such situations, thereby increasing the likelihood that a U.S. worker will be recruited for the job opportunity. This is because in traditionally or customarily unionized industries and occupations, unions serve as an essential conduit for communications between U.S. workers and hiring employers and have traditionally been recognized as a reliable source of referrals of U.S. workers. Unionized applicants may additionally share information about the job opportunity with nonunionized applicants, resulting in more referrals of qualified applicants to the job opportunity. Within this context, the two requirements complement each other as the State Federations of Labor and local unions that SWAs would circulate relevant job orders to, based on their knowledge of the local labor market, are comprised of various union organizations and may not always include the AFL-CIO. Since H-2B job opportunities in traditionally or customarily unionized occupations tend to fall within those industries most likely to be organized or represented by AFL-CIO member untions, the new requirement increases outreach to qualified U.S. workers. Moreover, the new requirement offers a chance for hiring employers to directly contact a potential pool of U.S. workers who are qualified and interested in the job opportunity, which can strengthen the probability that employers will locate U.S. workers suited for the job opportunity. For example, potential U.S. workers may be more inclined to contact an employer directly upon learning of the job opportunity rather than utilize the SWA as an intermediary since the application process could be quicker and demonstrate a willingness by employers to consider union workers. Direct contact between employers and unions may also initiate a dialogue between employers and unions that could lead to a future working relationship that fulfills the workforce needs of employers. Therefore, in providing timely and meaningful notice of job opportunities in traditionally or customarily unionized industries to the AFL-CIO, employers build on efforts by SWAs to circulate job orders to state and local unions, which may differ from the AFL-CIO, and thus broaden the scope of their U.S. worker outreach.

The requirements to contact former U.S. workers and provide notice to the bargaining representative or post the job order must be conducted in a language understood by the workers, as necessary or reasonable. This requirement would apply, for example, in situations where an employer has one or more employees who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. This requirement would allow those workers to make informed decisions regarding the job opportunity, and is a reasonable interpretation of the recruitment requirements in 20 CFR part 655, subpart A, in light of the need to ensure that the test of the U.S. labor market is as comprehensive as possible. Consistent with existing language requirements in the H-2B program under 20 CFR 655.20(l), DOL intends to broadly interpret the necessary or reasonable qualification, and apply an exemption only in those situations where having the job order translated into a particular language would both place an undue burden on an employer and not significantly disadvantage the employee.

The employer must hire any qualified U.S. worker who applies or is referred for the job opportunity until either (1) the date on which the last H-2B worker departs for the place of employment, or (2) 30 days after the last date on which the SWA job order is posted, whichever is later. Additionally, consistent with 20 CFR 655.40(a), applicants may be rejected only for lawful job-related reasons. Given that the employer, SWA, and AJC(s) will be actively engaged in conducting recruitment and broader dissemination of the job opportunity during the period of time the job order is active, this requirement provides an adequate period of time for U.S. workers to contact the employer or SWA for referral to the employer and completion of the additional recruitment steps described above. As explained above, the Departments have determined that if employers file a petition 30 or more days after their dates of need, they have not conducted recruitment recently enough for the Departments to reasonably conclude that there are currently an insufficient number of U.S. workers qualified, willing, and available to perform the work absent additional recruitment.

Because of the abbreviated timeline for the additional recruitment required for employers whose initial recruitment has gone stale, the Departments have determined that a longer hiring period is necessary to approximate the hiring period under normal recruitment procedures and ensure that domestic workers have access to these job opportunities, consistent with the Departments' mandate. Additionally, given the relatively brief period during which additional recruitment will occur, additional time may be necessary for U.S. workers to have a meaningful opportunity to learn about the job opportunities and submit applications.

The Departments remind all H-2B employers of the requirement to engage in non-discriminatory hiring practices and that the job opportunity is, and through the recruitment period set forth in this rule must continue to be, open to any qualified U.S. worker regardless of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or citizenship, as specified under 20 CFR 655.20(r). Further, employers that wish to require interviews must conduct those interviews by phone or provide a procedure for the interviews to be conducted in the location where the worker is being recruited so that the worker incurs little or no cost. Employers cannot provide potential H-2B workers with more favorable treatment with respect to the requirement for, and conduct of, interviews. See 20 CFR 655.40(d).

Any U.S. worker who applies or is referred for the job opportunity and is not considered by the employer for the job opportunity, experiences difficulty accessing or understanding the materials terms and conditions of the job opportunity, or believes they have been improperly rejected by the employer may file a complaint directly with the SWA serving the area of intended employment. Each SWA maintains a complaint system for public labor exchange services established under 20 CFR part 658, subpart E, and any complaint filed by, or on behalf of, a U.S. worker about a specific H-2B job order will be processed under this existing complaint system. Depending on the circumstances, the SWA may seek informal resolution by working with the complainant and the employer to resolve, for example, miscommunications with the employer to be considered for the job opportunity or other concerns or misunderstandings related to the terms and conditions of the job opportunity. In other circumstances, such as allegations involving discriminatory hiring practices, the SWA may need to formally enter the complaint and refer the matter to an appropriate enforcement agency for prompt action. As mentioned above, DOL's OFLC maintains a comprehensive directory of contact information for each SWA that can be used to obtain more information on how to file a complaint.

Although the hiring period may require some employers to hire U.S. workers after the start of the contract period, this is not unprecedented. For example, in the H-2A program, employers have been required to hire U.S. workers through 50 percent of the contract period since at least 2010, which “enhance[s] protections for U.S. workers, to the maximum extent possible, while balancing the potential costs to employers,” and is consistent with the Departments' responsibility to ensure that these job opportunities are available to U.S. workers. The Department acknowledges that hiring workers after the start of the contract period imposes an additional cost on employers, but that cost can be lessened, in part, by the ability to discharge the H-2B worker upon hiring a U.S. worker (note, however, that an employer must pay for any discharged H-2B worker's return transportation, 20 CFR 655.20(j)(1)(ii) and 29 CFR 503.16(j)(1)(ii)). Additionally, this rule permits employers to immediately hire H-2B workers who are already present in the United States without waiting for approval of an H-2B petition, which will reduce the potential for harm to H-2B workers as a result of displacement by U.S. workers. See new 8 CFR 214.2(h)(28). Most importantly, a longer hiring period will ensure that available U.S. workers have a viable opportunity to apply for H-2B job opportunities. Accordingly, the Departments have determined that in affording the benefits of this temporary cap increase to businesses that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm, it is necessary to ensure U.S. workers who may be seeking employment as the economy continues to recover in 2022 have sufficient time to apply for these jobs.

As in the temporary rules implementing the supplemental cap increases in prior years, employers must retain documentation demonstrating compliance with the recruitment requirements described above, including placement of a new job order with the SWA, contact with AJCs, contact with the bargaining representative or AFL-CIO when required, contact with former U.S. workers, and compliance with § 655.45(a) or (b). Employers must prepare and retain a recruitment report that describes these efforts and meets the requirements set forth in 20 CFR 655.48, including the requirement to update the recruitment report throughout the recruitment and hiring period set forth in paragraph (a)(5)(v) of new 20 CFR 655.65. Employers must maintain copies of the recruitment report, attestation, and supporting documentation, as described above, for a period of 3 years from the date that the TLC was approved, consistent with the document retention requirements under 20 CFR 655.56. These requirements are similar to those that apply to certain seafood employers that stagger the entry of H-2B workers under 20 CFR 655.15(f).

DOL's WHD has the authority to investigate the employer's attestations, as the attestations are a required part of the H-2B petition process under this rule and the attestations rely on the employer's existing, approved TLC. Where a WHD investigation determines that there has been a willful misrepresentation of a material fact or a substantial failure to meet the required terms and conditions of the attestations, WHD may institute administrative proceedings to impose sanctions and remedies, including (but not limited to) assessment of civil money penalties; recovery of wages due; make-whole relief for any U.S. worker who has been improperly rejected for employment, laid off, or displaced; make-whole relief for any person who has been discriminated against; and/or debarment for 1 to 5 years. See 29 CFR 503.19, 503.20. This regulatory authority is consistent with WHD's existing enforcement authority and is not limited by the expiration date of this rule. Therefore, in accordance with the documentation retention requirements at new 20 CFR 655.66, the petitioner must retain documents and records evidencing compliance with this rule, and must provide the documents and records upon request by DHS or DOL. In addition to the complaint process under 20 CFR part 658, subpart E, which is described above, workers who believe their rights under the H-2B program have been violated may file confidential complaints with WHD by telephone at 1-866-487-9243 or may access the telephone number via TTY by calling 1-877-889-5627 or visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd to locate the nearest WHD office for assistance. Note that an employer is prohibited from intimidating, threatening, restraining, coercing, blacklisting, discharging, or in any manner discriminating against an employee who has, among other actions: Filed a complaint related to H-2B rights and protections; consulted with a workers' rights center, community organization, labor union, legal assistance program, or attorney on H-2B rights or protections; or exercised or asserted H-2B rights and protections on behalf of themselves or others. 20 CFR 655.20(n) and 29 CFR 503.16(n).

DHS has the authority to verify any information submitted to establish H-2B eligibility at any time before or after the petition has been adjudicated by USCIS. See, e.g., INA sections 103 and 214 (8 U.S.C. 1103, 1184); see also 8 CFR part 103 and section 214.2(h). DHS' verification methods may include, but are not limited to, review of public records and information, contact via written correspondence or telephone, unannounced physical site inspections, and interviews. USCIS will use information obtained through verification to determine H-2B eligibility and assess compliance with the requirements of the H-2B program. Subject to the exceptions described in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(16), USCIS will provide petitioners with an opportunity to address adverse information that may result from a USCIS compliance review, verification, or site visit after a formal decision is made on a petition or after the agency has initiated an adverse action that may result in revocation or termination of an approval.

DOL's OFLC already has the authority under 20 CFR 655.70 to conduct audit examinations on adjudicated Applications for Temporary Employment Certification, including all appropriate appendices, and verify any information supporting the employer's attestations. OFLC uses audits of adjudicated Applications for Temporary Employment Certification, as authorized by 20 CFR 655.70, to ensure employer compliance with attestations made in its Application for Temporary Employment Certification and to ensure the employer has met all statutory and regulatory criteria and satisfied all program requirements. The OFLC CO has sole discretion to choose which Applications for Temporary Employment Certification will be audited. See 20 CFR 655.70(a). Post-adjudication audits can be used to establish a record of employer compliance or non-compliance with program requirements and the information gathered during the audit assists DOL in determining whether it needs to further investigate or debar an employer or its agent or attorney from future labor certifications.

Under this rule, an employer may submit a petition to USCIS, including a valid TLC and Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6, in which the employer attests to compliance with requirements for access to the supplemental H-2B visas allocated through 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(xii), including that its business is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm, and that it will conduct additional recruitment, if necessary to refresh the TLC's labor market test. DHS and DOL consider Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6 to be an appendix to the Application for Temporary Employment Certification and the attestations contained on the Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6 and documentation supporting the attestations to be evidence that is incorporated into and a part of the approved TLC. Therefore, DOL's audit authority includes the authority to audit the veracity of any attestations made on Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6 and documentation supporting the attestations. However, DOL's audit authority is independently authorized, and is not limited by the expiration date of this rule. In order to make certain that the supplemental visa allocation is not subject to fraud or abuse, DHS will share information regarding Forms ETA-9142B-CAA-6 with DOL, consistent with existing authorities. This information sharing between DHS and DOL, along with relevant information that may be obtained through the separate SWA and WHD complaint systems, are expected to support DOL's identification of TLCs used to access the supplemental visa allocation for closer examination of TLCs through the audit process.

In accordance with the documentation retention requirements in this rule, the petitioner must retain documents and records proving compliance with this rule, and must provide the documents and records upon request by DHS or DOL. Under this rule, DOL will audit a significant number of TLCs used to access the supplemental visa allocation to ensure employer compliance with attestations, including those regarding the irreparable harm standard and additional employer conducted recruitment, required under this rule. In the event of an audit, the OFLC CO will send a letter to the employer and, if appropriate, a copy of the letter to the employer's attorney or agent, listing the documentation the employer must submit and the date by which the documentation must be sent to the CO. During audits under this rule, the CO will request documentation necessary to demonstrate the employer conducted all recruitment steps required under this rule and truthfully attested to the irreparable harm the employer was suffering or would suffer in the near future without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested under the cap increase, including documentation the employer is required to retain under this rule. If necessary to complete the audit, the CO may request supplemental information and/or documentation from the employer during the course of the audit process. 20 CFR 655.70(c).

Failure to comply in the audit process may result in the revocation of the employer's certification or in debarment, under 20 CFR 655.72 and 655.73, respectively, or require the employer to undergo assisted recruitment in future filings of an Application for Temporary Employment Certification, under 20 CFR 655.71. Where an audit examination or review of information from DHS or other appropriate agencies determines that there has been fraud or willful misrepresentation of a material fact or a substantial failure to meet the required terms and conditions of the attestations or failure to comply with the audit examination process, OFLC may institute appropriate administrative proceedings to impose sanctions on the employer. Those sanctions may result in revocation of an approved TLC, the requirement that the employer undergo assisted recruitment in future filings of an Application for Temporary Employment Certification for a period of up to 2 years, and/or debarment from the H-2B program and any other foreign labor certification program administered by DOL for 1 to 5 years. See 29 CFR 655.71, 655.72, 655.73. Additionally, OFLC has the authority to provide any finding made or documents received during the course of conducting an audit examination to DHS, WHD, IER, or other enforcement agencies. OFLC's existing audit authority is independently authorized, and is not limited by the expiration date of this rule. Therefore, in accordance with the documentation retention requirements at new 20 CFR 655.66, the petitioner must retain documents and records proving compliance with this rule, and must provide the documents and records upon request by DHS or DOL.

Petitioners must also comply with any other applicable laws, such as avoiding unlawful discrimination against U.S. workers based on their citizenship status or national origin. Specifically, the failure to recruit and hire qualified and available U.S. workers on account of such individuals' national origin or citizenship status may violate INA section 274B, 8 U.S.C. 1324b.

IV. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

A. Administrative Procedure Act

This rule is issued without prior notice and opportunity to comment and with an immediate effective date pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). 5 U.S.C. 553(b) and (d).

1. Good Cause To Forgo Notice and Comment Rulemaking

The APA, 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), authorizes an agency to issue a rule without prior notice and opportunity to comment when the agency, for good cause, finds that those procedures are “impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.” Among other things, the good cause exception for forgoing notice and comment rulemaking “excuses notice and comment in emergency situations, or where delay could result in serious harm.” Jifry v. FAA, 370 F.3d 1174, 1179 (D.C. Cir. 2004). Although the good-cause exception is “narrowly construed and only reluctantly countenanced,” Tenn. Gas Pipeline Co. v. FERC, 969 F.2d 1141, 1144 (D.C. Cir. 1992), the Departments have appropriately invoked the exception in this case, for the reasons set forth below.

With respect to the supplemental allocations provisions in 8 CFR 214.2 and 20 CFR part 655, subpart A, as explained above, the Departments are acting to give effect to the supplemental cap authority in section 204 of Division O of the FY 2022 Omnibus, which was authorized only on March 15, 2022, and expires in less than five months on September 30, 2022. The Departments are bypassing advance notice and comment because of the exigency that created the new enactment, including the timeframe for action, as well as to urgently address increased labor demand and other conditions stemming from the economic consequences of the ongoing pandemic. A characteristic of the pandemic, the “Great Resignation” has resulted in an adverse impact on many employers in industries that frequently use the H-2B program, and recent reports suggest that this trend is continuing in 2022. Furthermore, the pandemic has had an impact on inflation and supply chains. The war in Ukraine, has further strained the U.S. economy; U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned on April 6, 2022 about the economic shock waves set off by the war in Ukraine, including disruptions to the global flow of food and energy.

USCIS received more than enough petitions to meet the H-2B visa statutory cap for the first half of FY 2022 on September 30, 2021, which is a month and a half earlier than when the statutory cap for the first half of FY 2020 was reached. Similarly, on February 25, 2022, USCIS received sufficient petitions to meet the H-2B visa statutory cap for the second half of FY 2022. As discussed elsewhere in this preamble, DHS and DOL issued a temporary final rule to address the unmet needs of American businesses on January 28, 2022. Given the continued high demand of American businesses for H-2B workers, rapidly evolving economic conditions and increased labor demand, and the limited time remaining in the fiscal year to authorize additional visa numbers to help prevent further irreparable harm currently experienced by some U.S. employers or avoid impending economic harm for others, a decision to undertake notice and comment rulemaking would delay final action on this matter by months, and would, therefore, greatly complicate and potentially preclude the Departments from successfully exercising the authority created by section 204, Public Law 117-103.

The temporary portability and change of employer provisions in 8 CFR 214.2 and 274a.12 are further supported by conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 31, 2020, the Secretary of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act in response to COVID-19 retroactive to January 27, 2020. This determination that a public health emergency exists due to COVID-19 has subsequently been renewed several times: On April 21, 2020, on July 23, 2020, on October 2, 2020, January 7, 2021, on April 15, 2021, on July 19, 2021, on October 15, 2021, on January 14, 2022, and most recently, on April 12, 2022. On March 13, 2020, then-President Trump declared a National Emergency concerning the COVID-19 outbreak, retroactive to March 1, 2020, to control the spread of the virus in the United States. In response to the Mexican government's call to increase social distancing in that country, DOS announced the temporary suspension of routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services processed at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and all U.S. consulates in Mexico beginning on March 18, 2020, and it later expanded the temporary suspension of routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates. On July 22, 2020, DOS indicated that embassies and consulates should continue to provide emergency and mission critical visa services to the extent possible and could begin a phased resumption of routine visa services as local conditions and resources allow. On March 26, 2020 DOS designated the H-2 programs as essential to the economy and food security of the United States and a national security priority; DOS indicated that U.S. Embassies and Consulates will continue to process H-2 cases to the extent possible and implemented a change in its procedures, to include interview waivers. On November 19, 2021, the Bureau of Consular Affairs announced that it would focus on reducing wait times for all consular services at U.S. embassies and consulates overseas while also protecting the health and safety of government staff and applicants but noted that local conditions and restrictions at individual consular posts may continue to fluctuate. The Bureau noted that embassies and consulates have broad discretion to determine how to prioritize visa appointments among the range of visa classes as safely as possible, subject to local conditions and restrictions.

Travel restrictions have also changed over time as the pandemic has continued to evolve. On October 25, 2021, the President issued Proclamation 10294, Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic, which, together with other policies, advance the safety and security of the air traveling public and others, while also allowing the domestic and global economy to continue its recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proclamation bars the entry of noncitizen adult nonimmigrants into the United States via air transportation unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with certain exceptions. On January 22, 2022, similar requirements entered into force at land ports of entry and ferry terminals.

On November 26, 2021, the President issued another Proclamation suspending the entry into the United States, of immigrants or nonimmigrants, of noncitizens who were physically present within certain Southern African countries during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. On December 28, 2021, the President revoked the November 26 Proclamation. And on December 2, 2021, CDC announced that, beginning December 6, 2021, all air travelers over the age of two, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, will be to be required to show a negative pre-departure COVID-19 viral test taken the day before they board their flight to the United States, or documentation of recent recovery from COVID-19. Shifting requirements as well as varying availability of vaccines and tests in some H-2B nonimmigrants' home countries could complicate travel.

In addition to travel restrictions and impacts of the pandemic on visa services, as discussed elsewhere in this rule, current efforts to curb the pandemic in the United States and worldwide have been partially successful. DHS anticipates that H-2B employers may need additional flexibilities, beyond supplemental visa numbers, to meet all of their labor needs, particularly if some U.S. and H-2B workers become unavailable due to illness or other restrictions related to the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, DHS is acting expeditiously to temporarily allow job portability for H-2B workers that will facilitate the continued employment of H-2B workers already present in the United States. This action will help employers fill these critically necessary nonagricultural job openings and protect U.S. businesses' economic investments in their operations.

Courts have found “good cause” under the APA when an agency is moving expeditiously to avoid significant economic harm to a program, program users, or an industry. Courts have held that an agency may use the good cause exception to address “a serious threat to the financial stability of [a government] benefit program,” Nat'l Fed'n of Fed. Emps. v. Devine, 671 F.2d 607, 611 (D.C. Cir. 1982), or to avoid “economic harm and disruption” to a given industry, which would likely result in higher consumer prices, Am. Fed'n of Gov't Emps. v. Block, 655 F.2d 1153, 1156 (D.C. Cir. 1981).

Consistent with the above authorities, the Departments are bypassing notice and comment to prevent “serious economic harm to the H-2B community,” including U.S. employers, associated U.S. workers, and related professional associations, that could result from ongoing uncertainty over the status of the numerical limitation, in other words, the effective termination of the program through the remainder of FY 2022. See Bayou Lawn & Landscape Servs. v. Johnson, 173 F. Supp. 3d 1271, 1285 & n.12 (N.D. Fla. 2016). The Departments note that this action is temporary in nature, see id., and includes appropriate conditions to ensure that it affects only those businesses most in need, and also protects H-2B and U.S. workers.

2. Good Cause To Proceed With an Immediate Effective Date

The APA also authorizes agencies to make a rule effective immediately, upon a showing of good cause, instead of imposing a 30-day delay. 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). The good cause exception to the 30-day effective date requirement is easier to meet than the good cause exception for foregoing notice and comment rulemaking. Riverbend Farms, Inc. v. Madigan, 958 F.2d 1479, 1485 (9th Cir. 1992); Am. Fed'n of Gov't Emps., AFL-CIO v. Block, 655 F.2d 1153, 1156 (D.C. Cir. 1981); U.S. Steel Corp. v. EPA, 605 F.2d 283, 289-90 (7th Cir. 1979). An agency can show good cause for eliminating the 30-day delayed effective date when it demonstrates urgent conditions the rule seeks to correct or unavoidable time limitations. U.S. Steel Corp., 605 F.2d at 290; United States v. Gavrilovic, 511 F.2d 1099, 1104 (8th Cir. 1977). For the same reasons set forth above expressing the need for immediate action, we also conclude that the Departments have good cause to dispense with the 30-day effective date requirement.

B. Executive Orders 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review) and 13563 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review)

Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess the costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if regulation is necessary and to the extent permitted by law, to proceed only if the benefits justify the costs and to select the regulatory approach that maximizes net benefits. Executive Order 13563 emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and benefits; reducing costs; simplifying and harmonizing rules; and promoting flexibility through approaches that preserve freedom of choice (including through “provision of information in a form that is clear and intelligible”). It also allows consideration of equity, fairness, distributive impacts, and human dignity, even if some or all of these are difficult or impossible to quantify.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has determined that this rule is a “significant regulatory action,” although not an economically significant regulatory action. Accordingly, the Office of Management and Budget has reviewed this regulation.

1. Summary

With this temporary final rule (TFR), DHS is authorizing the immediate release of an additional 35,000 H-2B visas. By the authority given under section 204 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103 (FY 2022 Omnibus), DHS is raising the H-2B cap by an additional 35,000 visas during FY 2022 for positions with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022 to businesses that: (1) Show that there are an insufficient number of U.S. workers to meet their needs in the second half of FY 2022; (2) attest that their businesses are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all of the H-2B workers requested on their petition; and (3) petition for returning workers who were issued an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021, unless the H-2B worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti. Additionally, up to 11,500 of the 35,000 visas may be granted to workers from the Northern Central American countries and Haiti who are exempt from the returning worker requirement. This TFR aims to prevent irreparable harm to certain U.S. businesses by allowing them to hire additional H-2B workers within FY 2022.

The estimated total costs to petitioners range from $22,107,261 to $24,255,601. This includes $12,702,940 in filing fees which are also transfers from the petitioners to USCIS to cover the full costs to USCIS related to new petitions. The estimated total cost to the Federal Government is $333,774. Therefore, DHS estimates that the total cost of this rule ranges from $22,441,035 to $24,589,375. The benefits of this rule are diverse, though some of them are difficult to quantify. They include:

(1) Employers benefit from this rule significantly through increased access to H-2B workers;

(2) Customers and others benefit directly or indirectly from that increased access;

(3) H-2B workers benefit from this rule significantly through obtaining jobs and earning wages, potential ability to port and earn additional wages, and increased information on COVID-19 and vaccination distribution. DHS recognizes that some of the effects of these provisions may occur beyond the borders of the United States;

(4) Some American workers may benefit to the extent that they do not lose jobs through the reduced or closed business activity that might occur if fewer H-2B workers were available;

(5) The existence of a lawful pathway, for the 11,500 visas set aside for new workers from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti, is likely to provide multiple benefits in terms of U.S. policy with respect to the Northern Central American countries and Haiti; and

(6) The Federal Government benefits from increased evidence regarding attestations. Table 1 provides a summary of the provisions in this rule and some of their impacts.

2. Background and Purpose of the Temporary Rule

The H-2B visa classification program was designed to serve U.S. businesses that are unable to find enough U.S. workers to perform nonagricultural work of a temporary or seasonal nature. For a nonimmigrant worker to be admitted into the United States under this visa classification, the hiring employer is required to: (1) Receive a temporary labor certification (TLC) from the Department of Labor (DOL); and (2) file Form I-129 with DHS. The temporary nature of the services or labor described on the approved TLC is subject to DHS review during adjudication of Form I-129. The current INA statute sets the annual number of H-2B visas for workers performing temporary nonagricultural work at 66,000 to be distributed semi-annually beginning in October (33,000) and in April (33,000). Any unused H-2B visas from the first half of the fiscal year will be available for employers seeking to hire H-2B workers during the second half of the fiscal year. However, any unused H-2B visas from one fiscal year do not carry over into the next and will therefore not be made available. Once the statutory H-2B visa cap limit has been reached, petitioners must wait until the next half of the fiscal year, or the beginning of the next fiscal year, for additional visas to become available.

On March 15, 2022, the President signed the FY 2022 Omnibus that contains a provision (Sec. 204 of Div. O) permitting the Secretary of Homeland Security, under certain circumstances, to increase the number of H-2B visas available to U.S. employers, notwithstanding the established statutory numerical limitation. After consulting with the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of the Homeland Security has determined it is appropriate to exercise his discretion and raise the H-2B cap by up to 35,000 visas for FY 2022 positions with start dates on or before September 30, 2022, for those businesses who would qualify under certain circumstances.

These businesses must attest that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all the H-2B workers requested on their petition. The Secretary has determined that up to 23,500 of the 35,000 these supplemental visas will be limited to specified H-2B returning workers for nationals of any country. Specifically, these individuals must be workers who were issued H-2B visas or were otherwise granted H-2B status in fiscal years 2019, 2020, or 2021. The Secretary has also determined that up to 11,500 of the 35,000 additional visas will be reserved for workers who are nationals of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti, and that these 11,500 workers will be exempt from the returning worker requirement. Once the 11,500 visa limit has been reached, a petitioner may continue to request H-2B visas for workers who are nationals of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti but these workers must be returning workers.

3. Population

This rule would affect those employers that file Form I-129 on behalf of nonimmigrant workers they seek to hire under the H-2B visa program. More specifically, this rule would affect those employers that can establish that their business is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all the H-2B workers requested on their petition and without the exercise of authority that is the subject of this rule. Due to the temporary nature of this rule and the limited time left for employers to begin the H-2B filing process for positions with FY 2022 employment start dates on or before September 30, 2022, DHS believes that it is reasonable to assume that eligible petitioners for these additional 35,000 visas will generally be those employers that have already completed the steps to receive an approved TLC prior to the issuance of this rule.

This rule would also have additional impacts on the population of H-2B employers and workers presently in the United States by permitting some H-2B workers to port to another certified employer. These H-2B workers would continue to earn wages and gaining employers would continue to obtain necessary workers.

a. Population That Will File a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker

According to DOL OFLC's certification data for FY 2022, as of March 31, 2022, about 9,359 TLCs for 154,525 H-2B positions were received with expected work start dates between April 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022. DOL OFLC has approved 4,771 certifications for 79,947 H-2B positions and is still reviewing 3,804 TLC requests for 60,295 H-2B positions. DOL OFLC has denied, withdrawn, rejected, or returned 784 certifications for 14,283 H-2B positions. However, many of these certified worker positions have already been filled under the semi-annual cap of 33,000 and, for approximately 10.4 percent of the worker positions certified and still under review by DOL, employers indicated on the Form ETA-9142B their intention to employ some or all of the H-2B workers under the application who will be exempt from the statutory visa cap. Additionally, based on the average TLC requests received for work start dates between June 15 and September 30 during FY 2019-2021, DOL OFLC estimates that it may receive another 75 TLC requests covering approximately 1,200 H-2B worker positions for the remainder of fiscal year 2022 ending on September 30, 2022. The estimated total of approved, pending, and projected future TLCs, as of March 31, 2022, is 6,304 for 141,442 H-2B worker positions. Assuming 10.4 percent of the approved, pending, and projected 141,442 H-2B worker petitions will be exempt from the statutory visa cap, we estimate applications requesting approximately 126,732 H-2B beneficiaries.

Of the estimated total 8,650 certified Applications for Temporary Employment Certification, USCIS data shows that 2,346 H-2B petitions for 39,254 positions with approved certifications were already filed toward the first semi-annual cap of 33,000 visas. Therefore, we estimate that approximately 6,304 Applications for Temporary Employment Certification may be filed towards this FY 2022 supplemental cap. USCIS recognizes that some employers would have to submit two Forms I-129 if they choose to request H-2B workers under both the returning worker and Northern Central American Countries/Haiti cap. At this time, USCIS cannot predict how many employers will choose to take advantage of this set-aside, and therefore recognize that the number of petitions may be underestimated.

b. Population That Files Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative

If a lawyer or accredited representative submits Form I-129 on behalf of the petitioner, Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative, must accompany the Form I-129 submission. Using data from FY 2017 to FY 2021, we estimate that 44.43 percent of Form I-129 petitions will be filed by a lawyer or accredited representative (Table 2). Table 2 shows the percentage of Form I-129 H-2B petitions that were accompanied by a Form G-28. Therefore, we estimate that 2,801 Forms I-129 and Forms G-28 will be filed by in-house or outsourced lawyers, and that 3,503 Forms I-129 will be filed by human resources (HR) specialists.

c. Population That Files Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service

Employers may use Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, to request faster processing of their Form I-129 petitions for H-2B visas. Table 3 shows the percentage of Form I-129 H-2B petitions that were filed with a Form I-907. Using data from FY 2017 to FY 2021, USCIS estimates that approximately 93.67 percent of Form I-129 H-2B petitioners will file a Form I-907 requesting premium processing, though this could be higher because of the timing of this rule. Based on this historical data, USCIS estimates that 5,905 Forms I-907 will be filed with the Forms I-129 as a result of this rule. Of these 5,905 premium processing requests, we estimate that 2,624 Forms I-907 will be filed by in-house or outsourced lawyers and 3,281 will be filed by HR specialists.

d. Population That Files Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6, 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

Petitioners seeking to take advantage of this FY 2022 H-2B supplemental visa cap will need to file a Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6 attesting that their business is suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm without the ability to employ all the H-2B workers requested on the petition, comply with third party notification, and maintain required records, among other requirements. DOL estimates that each of the 6,304 petitions will need to be accompanied by Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6 and petitioners filing these petitions and attestations will need to comply with its provisions.

e. Population Affected by the Portability Provision

The population affected by this provision are nonimmigrants in H-2B status who are present in the United States and the employers with valid TLCs seeking to hire H-2B workers. We use the population of 66,000 H-2B workers authorized by statute, the 20,000 additional H-2B workers authorized by the previous supplemental cap, and the 35,000 additional H-2B workers authorized by this regulation as a proxy for the H-2B population that could be currently present in the United States. We use the number of approved, pending, and projected TLCs (8,650) to estimate the potential number of Form I-129 H-2B petitions that incur impacts associated with this porting provision. USCIS uses the number of Forms I-129 filed for extension of stay due to change of employer relative to the Forms I-129 filed for new employment from FY 2011 to FY 2020, the ten years prior to the implementation of first portability provision in a H-2B supplemental cap TFR, to estimate the baseline rate. We compare the average rate from FY 2011-FY 2020 to the rate from FY 2021. Table 4 presents the number of Form I-129 filed extensions of stay due to change of employer and Form I-129 filed for new employment for Fiscal year 2011 through 2020. The average rate of extension of stay due to change of employer compared to new employment is approximately 10.5 percent.

In FY 2021, the first year a H-2B supplemental cap included a portability provision, there were 1,114 Forms I-129 filed for extension of stay due to change of employer compared to 7,206 Forms I-129 filed for new employment. As of March 31, 2022, another year where the H-2B supplemental cap included a portability provision, there have been 614 Form I-129 filed for extension of stay due to change of employer compared to 3,062 Forms I-129 filed for new employment. Over the period when a portability provision was in place for H-2B workers, the rate of Form I-129 for extension of stay due to change of employer relative to new employment is 16.8 percent. This is above the 10.5 percent rate expected without a portability provision. 16.8 percent is our estimate of the rate expected in periods with a portability provision in the supplemental visa allocation. Using the 8,650 as our estimate for the number of Forms I-129 filed for H-2B new employment in the second half of FY 2022, we estimate that 908 Forms I-129 for extension of stay due to change of employer would be filed in absence of this provision. With this portability provision, we estimate that 1,453 Forms I-129 for extension of stay due to change of employer would be filed. This difference results in 545 additional Forms I-129 as a result of this provision. As previously estimated, we expect that about 44.43 percent of Form I-129 petitions will be filed by an in-house or outsourced lawyer. Therefore, we expect that 242 of these petitions will be filed by a lawyer and the remaining 303 will be filed by a HR specialist. Previously in this analysis, we estimated that about 93.67 percent of Form I-129 H-2B petitions are filed with Form I-907 for premium processing. As a result of this portability provision, we expect that an additional 511 Forms I-907 will be filed. We expect 227 of those Forms I-907 will be filed by a lawyer and the remaining 284 will be filed by an HR specialist.

f. Population Affected by the Audits

Under this time-limited FY 2022 H-2B supplemental cap rule, DHS intends to conduct 250 audits of employers hiring H-2B workers and DOL intends to conduct 100 audits of employers hiring H-2B workers. The determination of which employers are audited will be done at the discretion of the Departments, though the agencies will coordinate so that no employer is audited by both DOL and DHS. Therefore, a total of 350 audits on employers that petition for H-2B workers under this TFR will be conducted by the Federal Government.

g. Population Affected by Additional Scrutiny

DHS expects that petitioners who have been cited by WHD for H-2B program violations will undergo additional scrutiny from USCIS. To estimate the number of firms expected to undergo increased scrutiny, we utilize DOL's Wage and Hour Compliance Action Data. The data available here is for concluded cases. Table 5 presents the number of employers that were cited for H-2B violations that have a worker protection violation end date in FYs 2017-2021.

The worker protection violation end date is established based on the “findings end date” which represents the date that the last worker protection violation occurred in the concluded case. During FY 2017-2021, on average 69 (rounded) employers that were cited for H-2B violations had a worker protection violation end date each year. USCIS intends to request evidence from employers cited for H-2B violations with a worker protection violation end date in the last two years. Therefore, for purposes of this analysis, we expect 138 petitioners will undergo additional scrutiny from USCIS.

h. Population Expected To Familiarize Themselves With This Rule

DHS expects the population of employers with approved, pending, or projected Applications for Temporary Employment Certification will need to familiarize themselves with this rule; an estimated 8,650 employers. We use the 8,650 population, rather than the estimated 6,304 expected to file a petition, because the portability provision is expected to be available to 8,650 potential filers. As discussed above, we do not expect all of these potential filers to take advantage of the portability provision; we do expect that they will read and understand the rule to inform a decision about using the portability provision.

We expect familiarization with the rule will be performed by a HR specialist, in-house lawyer, or outsourced lawyer, and this will be done at the same rate as petitioners who file a Form G-28; an estimated 44.43 percent performed by lawyers. Therefore we estimate that 3,843 lawyers will incur familiarization costs and 4,807 HR specialists will incur familiarization costs.

4. Cost-Benefit Analysis

The provisions of this rule require the submission of a Form I-129 H-2B petition. The costs for this form include filing costs and the opportunity cost of time to complete and submit the form. The current filing fee for Form I-129 is $460 and employers filing H-2B petitions must submit an additional fee of $150. These filing fees are not a cost to society but a transfer from the petitioner to USCIS in exchange for agency services. In this case the filing fee is a also proxy for the total costs incurred by USCIS during the process of adjudicating a Form I-129 H-2B petition at the request of the petitioner.

The total estimated cost from filing fees for H-2B petitions using Form I-129 is $610. The estimated time to complete and file Form I-129 for H-2B classification is 4.34 hours. The petition must be filed by a U.S. employer, a U.S. agent, or a foreign employer filing through the U.S. agent. DHS estimates that 44.43 percent of Form I-129 H-2B petitions will be filed by an in-house or outsourced lawyer, and the remainder (55.57 percent) will be filed by an HR specialist or equivalent occupation. DHS presents estimated costs for HR specialists filing Form I-129 petitions and an estimated range of costs for in-house lawyers or outsourced lawyers filing Form I-129 petitions.

To estimate the total opportunity cost of time to HR specialists who complete and file Form I-129, DHS uses the mean hourly wage rate of HR specialists of $34.00 as the base wage rate. If petitioners hire an in-house or outsourced lawyer to file Form I-129 on their behalf, DHS uses the mean hourly wage rate $71.71 as the base wage rate. Using the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, DHS calculated a benefits-to-wage multiplier of 1.45 to estimate the full wages to include benefits such as paid leave, insurance, and retirement. DHS multiplied the average hourly U.S. wage rate for HR specialists and for in-house lawyers by the benefits-to-wage multiplier of 1.45 to estimate total compensation to employees. The total compensation for an HR specialist is $49.30 per hour, and the total compensation for an in-house lawyer is $103.98 per hour. In addition, DHS recognizes that an entity may not have in-house lawyers and seek outside counsel to complete and file Form I-129 on behalf of the petitioner. Therefore, DHS presents a second wage rate for lawyers labeled as outsourced lawyers. DHS recognizes that the wages for outsourced lawyers may be much higher than in-house lawyers and therefore uses a higher compensation-to-wage multiplier of 2.5 for outsourced lawyers. DHS estimates the total compensation for an outsourced lawyer is $179.28 per hour. If a lawyer submits Form I-129 on behalf of the petitioner, Form G-28 must accompany the Form I-129 petition. DHS estimates the time burden to complete and submit Form G-28 for a lawyer is 50 minutes (0.83 hour, rounded). For this analysis, DHS adds the time to complete Form G-28 to the opportunity cost of time to lawyers for filing Form I-129 on behalf of a petitioner. This results in a time burden of 5.17 hours for in-house lawyers and outsourced lawyers to complete Form G-28 and Form I-129. Therefore, the total opportunity cost of time per petition for an HR specialist to complete and file Form I-129 is approximately $213.96, for an in-house lawyer to complete and file Forms I-129 and G-28 is about $537.58, and for an outsourced lawyer to complete and file is approximately $926.88. The total cost, including filing fees and opportunity costs of time, per petitioner to file Form I-129 is approximately $823.96 if filed by an HR specialist, $1,147.58 if filed by an in-house lawyer, and $1,536.88 if filed by an outsourced lawyer.

a. Cost to Petitioners

As mentioned in Section 3, the estimated population impacted by this rule is 6,304 eligible petitioners who are projected to apply for the additional 35,000 H-2B visas for the second half of FY 2022, with 11,500 of the additional visas reserved for employers that will petition for workers who are nationals of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti, who are exempt from the returning worker requirement.

i. Costs to Petitioners To File Form I-129 and Form G-28

As discussed above, DHS estimates that an additional 3,503 petitions will be filed by HR specialists using Form I-129 and an additional 2,801 petitions will be filed by lawyers using Form I-129 and Form G-28. DHS estimates the total cost to file Form I-129 petitions if filed by HR specialists is $2,886,332 (rounded). DHS estimates total cost to file Form I-129 petitions and Form G-28 if filed by lawyers will range from $3,214,372 (rounded) if only in-house lawyers file these forms to $4,304,801 (rounded) if only outsourced lawyers file them. Therefore, the estimated total cost to file Form I-129 and Form G-28 range from $6,100,704 and $7,191,133.

ii. Costs to File Form I-907

Employers may use Form I-907 to request premium processing of Form I-129 petitions for H-2B visas. The filing fee for Form I-907 for H-2B petitions is $1,500 and the time burden for completing the form is 35 minutes (0.58 hour). Using the wage rates established previously, the opportunity cost of time to file Form I-907 is approximately $28.59 for an HR specialist, $60.31 for an in-house lawyer, and $103.98 for an outsourced lawyer. Therefore, the total filing cost to complete and submit Form I-907 per petitioner is approximately $1,528.59 for HR specialists, $1,560.31 for in-house lawyers, and $1,603.98 for outsourced lawyers.

As discussed above, DHS estimates that an additional 3,281 Form I-907 will be filed by HR specialists and an additional 2,624 Form I-907 will be filed lawyers. DHS estimates the total cost of Form I-907 filed by HR specialists is about $5,015,304 (rounded). DHS estimates total cost to file Form I-907 filed by lawyers range from about $4,094,253 (rounded) for only in-house lawyers to $4,208,844 (rounded) for only outsourced lawyers. The estimated total cost to file Form I-907 range from $9,109,557 and $9,224,148.

iii. Cost To File Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6

Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6 is an attestation form that includes recruiting requirements, the irreparable harm standard, and document retention obligations. DOL estimates the time burden for completing and signing the form is 0.25 hour, 0.25 hours for retaining records, and 0.50 hours to comply with the returning workers' attestation, for a total time burden of 1 hour. Using the $49.30 hourly total compensation for an HR specialist, the opportunity cost of time for an HR specialist to complete the attestation form, notify third parties, and retain records relating to the returning worker requirements is approximately $49.30.

Additionally, the form requires that petitioners assess and document supporting evidence for meeting the irreparable harm standard, and retain those documents and records, which we assume will require the resources of a financial analyst (or another equivalent occupation). Using the same methodology previously described for wages, the mean hourly wage for a financial analyst is $49.53, and the estimated hourly total compensation for a financial analyst is $71.82. DOL estimates the time burden for these tasks is at least 4 hours, and 1 hour for gathering and retaining documents and records, for a total time burden of 5 hours. Therefore, the total opportunity cost of time for a financial analyst to assess, document, and retain supporting evidence is approximately $359.10.

As discussed previously, DHS believes that the estimated 6,304 remaining certifications for the second half of FY 2022 would include potential employers that might request to employ H-2B workers under this rule. This number of certifications is a reasonable proxy for the number of employers that may need to review and sign the attestation. Using this estimate for the total number of certifications, we estimate the opportunity cost of time for completing the attestation for HR specialists is approximately $310,787 (rounded) and for financial analysts is about $2,263,766 (rounded). The estimated total cost is approximately $2,574,553.

iv. Cost To Conduct Recruitment

An employer that files Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6 and the I-129 petition 30 or more days after the certified start date of work must conduct additional recruitment of U.S. workers. This consists of placing a new job order with the State Workforce Agency (SWA), contacting the American Job Center (AJC), contacting laid-off workers, and, if applicable, contacting the AFL-CIO. Employers must place a new job order for the job opportunity with the SWA.

Employers are required to make reasonable efforts to contact, by mail or other effective means, their former U.S. workers, including those workers who were furloughed and laid off, beginning January 1, 2020. Employers must also disclose the terms of the job order to these workers as required by the rule.

During the period the SWA is actively circulating the job order, employers must contact, by email or other available electronic means, the nearest local AJC to request staff assistance advertising and recruiting qualified U.S. workers for the job opportunity, and to provide to the AJC the unique identification number associated with the job order placed with the SWA.

If the occupation is traditionally or customarily unionized, employers must 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, by providing a copy of the job order, and request assistance in recruiting qualified U.S. workers for the job opportunity.

Finally, the employer is required to provide a copy of the job order to the bargaining representative for its employees in the occupation and area of intended employment, consistent with 20 CFR 655.45(a), or if there is no bargaining representative, post the job order in the places and manner described in 20 CFR 655.45(b).

DOL estimates the average expected time burden for activities related to conducting recruitment is 3 hours. Assuming this work will be done by an HR specialist or an equivalent occupation, the estimated cost to each petitioner is approximately $147.90. Using the 6,304 as the estimated number of petitioners, the estimated total cost of this provision is approximately $932,362 (rounded). It is possible that if U.S. employees apply for these positions, H-2B employers may incur some costs associated with reviewing applications, interviewing, vetting, and hiring applicants who are referred to H-2B employers by the recruiting activities required by this rule. However, DOL is unable to quantify the impact.

v. Cost of the COVID Protection Provision

Employers must notify employees, in a language understood by the worker as necessary or reasonable, that all persons in the United States, including nonimmigrants, have equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites. We assume that employers will provide a printed notification to inform their employees, such as the free publicly available posters published by DOL's WHD. We also assume that printing and posting the notification can be done during the normal course of business and expect that an employer would need to post two copies of a one-page notification. One of these copies would be in English and a second copy would be in a foreign language. The printing cost associated with posting the notifications (assuming that the notification is written) is $0.15 per posting. The estimated total cost to petitioners to print copies is approximately $1,891 (rounded). Print costs may be higher if employers have to print notifications in more than two languages.

vi. Cost of the Portability Provision

Petitioners seeking to hire H-2B nonimmigrants who are currently present in the United States with a valid H-2B visa would need to file a Form I-129 which includes paying the associated fee as discussed above. Also previously discussed, we assume that all employers with an approved TLC (8,650) would be able to file a petition under this provision, and estimate that approximately 545 additional Form I-129 H-2B petitions will be filed as a result of this provision.

As discussed previously, if a petitioner is represented by a lawyer, the lawyer must file Form G-28; if premium processing is desired, a petitioner must file Form I-907 and pay the associated fee. We expect these actions to be performed by an HR specialist, in-house lawyer, or an outsourced lawyer. Moreover, as previously estimated, we expect that about 44.43 percent of these Form I-129 petitions will be filed by an in-house or outsourced lawyer. Therefore, we expect that 242 of these petitions will be filed by a lawyer and the remaining 303 will be filed by a HR specialist. As previously discussed, the estimated cost to file a Form I-129 H-2B petition is $823.96 for an HR specialist; and the estimated cost to file a Form I-129 H-2B petition with accompanying Form G-28 is $1,147.58 for an in-house lawyer and $1,536.88 for an outsourced lawyer. Therefore, we estimate the cost of the additional Forms I-129 from the portability provision for HR specialists is $249,660. The estimated cost of the additional Forms I-129 accompanied by Forms G-28 from the portability provision for lawyers is $277,714 if filed by in-house lawyers and $371,925 if filed by outsourced lawyers.

Previously in this analysis, we estimated that about 93.67 percent of Form I-129 H-2B petitions are filed with Form I-907 for premium processing. As a result of this provision, we expect that an additional 511 Forms I-907 will be filed. We expect 227 of those Forms I-907 will be filed by a lawyer and the remaining 284 will be filed by an HR specialist. As previously discussed, the estimated cost to file a Form I-907 is $1,528.59 for an HR specialist; and the estimated cost to file a Form I-907 is approximately $1,560.31 for an in-house lawyer and $1,603.98 for an outsourced lawyer. The estimated total cost of the additional Forms I-907 if HR specialists file is $434,120. The estimated total cost of the additional Forms I-907 is $354,190 if filed by in-house lawyers and $364,103 if filed by outsourced lawyers.

The estimated total cost of this provision ranges from $1,315,684 to $1,419,808 depending on what share of the forms are filed by in-house or outsourced lawyers.

vii. Cost of Audits to Petitioners

DHS intends to conduct 250 audits of employers hiring H-2B workers and DOL intends to conduct 100 audits of employers hiring H-2B workers, for a total of 350 employers. Employers will need to provide requested information to comply with the audit. The expected time burden to comply with audits conducted by DHS and DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification is estimated to be 12 hours. We expect that providing these documents will be accomplished by an HR specialist or equivalent occupation. Given an hourly opportunity cost of time of $49.30, the estimated cost of complying with audits is $591.60 per audited employer. Therefore, the total estimated cost to employers to comply with audits is $207,060.

viii. Cost of Additional Scrutiny

The Departments expect that petitioners undergoing additional scrutiny will need to submit additional evidence to USCIS. In addition to the previously described burden to assess, document and retain evidence, submission of this evidence is expected to require printing and mailing hundreds of pages of documents. To estimate the cost of additional scrutiny, we assume 138 petitioners will need to print 500 pages of documents and mail this to USCIS. These documents are expected to be able to fit in a Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate box which costs $16.10. We estimate the costs of printing at $0.15 per page, and the cost of printing 500 pages is estimated to be $75.00. The estimated cost for an employer to print and ship evidence to USCIS is $91.10. With an estimated 138 petitioners expected to print and ship evidence, the total estimated costs for printing and shipping evidence is $12,572.

Petitioners are also expected to incur a time burden associated with printing and shipping evidence to USCIS. We estimate it will take an HR specialist or equivalent employee 1 hour to print and ship evidence. Using $49.30 hourly opportunity cost of time for HR specialist, we estimate the opportunity cost of time for each petitioner is $49.30. With an estimated 138 petitioners expected to print and ship evidence, the total estimated opportunity cost of time to print and ship evidence is $6,803.

We do not expect this provision to impose new costs on to USCIS. The costs to request and review evidence from petitioners is included in the fees paid to the agency.

The total estimated cost of additional scrutiny is $19,375.

ix. Familiarization Costs

We expect that petitioners or their representatives would need to read and understand this rule if they seek to take advantage of the supplemental cap. As a result, we expect this rule would impose one-time familiarization costs associated with reading and understanding this rule. As shown previously, we estimate that approximately 8,650 petitioners may take advantage of the provisions of this rule, and that 3,843 of these petitioners are expected to be represented by a lawyer and 4,807 are expected to be represented by a HR representative.

To estimate the cost of rule familiarization, we estimate the time it will take to read and understand the rule by assuming a reading speed of 238 words per minute. This rule has approximately 41,000 words. Using a reading speed of 238 words per minute, DHS estimates it will take approximately 2.9 hours to read and understand this rule.

The estimated hourly total compensation for a HR specialist, in-house lawyer, and outsourced lawyer are $49.30, $103.98, and $179.28, respectively. The estimated opportunity cost of time for each of these filers to read and understand the rule are $142.97, $301.54, and $519.91, respectively. The estimated total opportunity cost of time for 4,807 HR specialists to familiarize themselves with this rule is approximately $687,257. The estimated total opportunity cost of time for 3,843 lawyers to familiarize themselves with this rule is approximately $1,158,818 if they are all in-house lawyers and $1,998,014 if they are all outsourced lawyers. The estimated total opportunity costs of time for petitioners or their representatives to familiarize themselves with this rule ranges from $1,846,075 to $2,685,271.

x. Estimated Total Costs to Petitioners

The monetized costs of this rule come from filing and complying with Form I-129, Form G-28, Form I-907, and Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6, as well as contacting and refreshing recruitment efforts, posting notifications, filings to obtain a porting worker, and complying with audits. The estimated total cost to file Form I-129 and an accompanying Form G-28 ranges from $6,100,704 to $7,191,133, depending on the filer. The estimated total cost of filing Form I-907 ranges from $9,109,557 to $9,224,148, depending on the filer. The estimated total cost of filing and complying with Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6 is $2,574,553. The estimated total cost of conducting additional recruitment is $932,362. The estimated total cost of the COVID-19 protection provision is approximately $1,891. The estimated cost of the portability provision ranges from $1,315,684 to $1,419,808, depending on the filer. The estimated total cost for employers to comply with audits is $207,060. The estimated total costs for petitioners or their representatives to familiarize themselves with this rule ranges from $1,846,075 to $2,685,271, depending on the filer. The estimated total cost of additional scrutiny is $19,375. The total estimated cost to petitioners ranges from $22,107,261 to $24,255,601, depending on the filer.

b. Cost to the Federal Government

USCIS will incur costs related to the adjudication of petitions as a result of this TFR. DHS expects these costs to be recovered by the fees associated with the forms, which have been accounted for as a transfer from petitioners to USCIS and also serve as a proxy for the costs to the agency. The total filing fees associated with Form I-129 H-2B petitions are $3,845,440 and the total filing fees associated with premium processing are $8,857,500. This is a total filing fee of $12,702,940.

The INA provides USCIS with the authority for the collection of fees at a level that will ensure recovery of the full costs of providing adjudication and naturalization services, including administrative costs, and services provided without charge to certain applicants and petitioners. DHS notes USCIS establishes its fees by assigning costs to an adjudication based on its relative adjudication burden and use of USCIS resources. Fees are established at an amount that is necessary to recover these assigned costs such as clerical, officers, and managerial salaries and benefits, plus an amount to recover unassigned overhead (for example, facility rent, IT equipment and systems among other expenses) and immigration benefits provided without a fee charge. Consequently, since USCIS immigration fees are based on resource expenditures related to the benefit in question, USCIS uses the fee associated with an information collection as a reasonable measure of the collection's costs to USCIS. DHS anticipates some additional costs in adjudicating the additional petitions submitted because of the increase in cap limitation for H-2B visas.

Both DOL and DHS intend to conduct a significant number of audits during the period of temporary need to verify compliance with H-2B program requirements, including the irreparable harm standard as well as other key worker protection provisions implemented through this rule. While most USCIS activities are funded through fees and DOL is funded through appropriations, it is expected that both agencies will be able to shift resources to be able to conduct these audits without incurring additional costs. As previously mentioned, the agencies will conduct a total of 350 audits and each audit is expected to take 12 hours. This results in a total time burden of 4,200 hours. USCIS anticipates that a Federal employee at a GS-13 Step 5 salary will typically conduct these audits for each agency. The base hourly pay for a GS-13 Step 5 in the Washington, DC locality area is $58.01. To estimate the total hourly compensation for these positions, we multiply the hourly wage ($58.01) by the Federal benefits to wage multiplier of 1.37. This results in an hourly opportunity cost of time of $79.47 for GS-13 Step 5 Federal employees in the Washington, DC locality pay area. The total opportunity costs of time for Federal workers to conduct audits is estimated to be $333,774.

c. Benefits to Petitioners

The Departments assume that employers will incur the costs of this rule and other costs associated with hiring H-2B workers if the expected benefits of those workers exceed the expected costs. We assume that employers expect some level of net benefit from being able to hire additional H-2B workers. However, the Departments do not collect or require data from H-2B employers on the profits from hiring these additional workers to estimate this increase in net benefits.

The inability to access H-2B workers for some entities is currently causing irreparable harm or will cause their businesses to suffer irreparable harm in the near future. Temporarily increasing the number of available H-2B visas for this fiscal year may result in a cost savings, because it will allow some businesses to hire the additional labor resources necessary to avoid such harm. Preventing such harm may ultimately preserve the jobs of other employees (including U.S. workers) at that establishment. Additionally, returning workers are likely to be very familiar with the H-2B process and requirements, and may be positioned to begin work more expeditiously with these employers. Moreover, employers may already be familiar with returning workers as they have trained, vetted, and worked with some of these returning workers in past years. As such, limiting the supplemental visas to returning workers would assist employers that are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm.

d. Benefits to Workers

The Departments assume that workers will only incur the costs of this rule and other costs associated with obtaining a H-2B position if the expected benefits of that position exceed the expected costs. We assume that H-2B workers expect some level of net benefit from being able to work for H-2B employers. However, the Departments do not have sufficient data to estimate this increase in net benefits and lack the necessary resources to investigate this in a timely manner. This rule is not expected to impact wages because DOL prevailing wage regulations apply to all H-2B workers covered by this rule. Additionally, the RIA shows that employers incur costs in conducting additional recruitment of U.S. workers and attesting to irreparable harm from current labor shortfall. These costs suggest employers are not taking advantage of a large supply of foreign labor at the expense of domestic workers.

The existence of this rule will benefit the workers who receive H-2B visas. See Arnold Brodbeck et al., Seasonal Migrant Labor in the Forest Industry of the United States: The Impact of H-2B Employment on Guatemalan Livelihoods, 31 Society & Natural Resources 1012 (2018), and in particular this finding: “Participation in the H-2B guest worker program has become a vital part of the livelihood strategies of rural Guatemalan families and has had a positive impact on the quality of life in the communities where they live. Migrant workers who were landless, lived in isolated rural areas, had few economic opportunities, and who had limited access to education or adequate health care, now are investing in small trucks, building roads, schools, and homes, and providing employment for others in their home communities . . . . The impact has been transformative and positive.”

Some provisions of this rule will benefit such workers in particular ways. The portability provision of this rule will allow nonimmigrants with valid H-2B visas who are present in the United States to transfer to a new employer more quickly and potentially extend their stay in the United States and, therefore, earn additional wages. Importantly, the rule will also increase information employees have about equal access to COVID-19 vaccinations and vaccine distribution sites. DHS recognizes that some of the effects of these provisions may occur beyond the borders of the United States. The current analysis does not seek to quantify or monetize costs or benefits that occur outside of the United States.

Note as well that U.S. workers will benefit in multiple ways. For example, the additional round of recruitment and U.S. worker referrals required by the provisions of this rule will ensure that a U.S. worker who is willing and able to fill the position is not displaced by a nonimmigrant worker. As noted, the avoidance of current or impending irreparable harm made possible through the granting of supplemental visas in this rule could ensure that U.S. workers—who otherwise may be vulnerable if H-2B workers were not given visas—do not lose their jobs.

C. Regulatory Flexibility Act

The Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq. (RFA), imposes certain requirements on Federal agency rules that are subject to the notice and comment requirements of the APA. See 5 U.S.C. 603(a), 604(a). This temporary final rule is exempt from notice and comment requirements for the reasons stated above. Therefore, the requirements of the RFA applicable to final rules, 5 U.S.C. 604, do not apply to this temporary final rule. Accordingly, the Departments are not required to either certify that the temporary final rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities nor conduct a regulatory flexibility analysis.

D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) is intended, among other things, to curb the practice of imposing unfunded Federal mandates on State, local, and tribal governments. Title II of the Act requires each Federal agency to prepare a written statement assessing the effects of any Federal mandate in a proposed rule, or final rule for which the agency published a proposed rule that includes any Federal mandate that may result in $100 million or more expenditure (adjusted annually for inflation) in any one year by State, local, and tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector. This rule is exempt from the written statement requirement because DHS did not publish a notice of proposed rulemaking for this rule.

In addition, this rule does not exceed the $100 million in 1995 expenditure in any 1 year when adjusted for inflation ($178 million in 2021 dollars based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)), and this rulemaking does not contain such a Federal mandate as ther term is defined under UMRA. The requirements of Title II of the Act, therefore, do not apply, and the Departments have not prepared a statement under the Act.

E. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

This rule does not have substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the National Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. Therefore, in accordance with section 6 of Executive Order 13132, 64 FR 43255 (Aug. 4, 1999), this rule does not have sufficient federalism implications to warrant the preparation of a federalism summary impact statement.

F. Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice Reform)

This rule meets the applicable standards set forth in sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of Executive Order 12988, 61 FR 4729 (Feb. 5, 1996).

G. National Environmental Policy Act

DHS and its components analyze proposed actions to determine whether the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) applies to them and, if so, what degree of analysis is required. DHS Directive (Dir) 023-01 Rev. 01 and Instruction Manual 023-01-001-01 Rev. 01 (Instruction Manual) establish the procedures that DHS and its components use to comply with NEPA and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA, 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508.

The CEQ regulations allow Federal agencies to establish, with CEQ review and concurrence, categories of actions (“categorical exclusions”) which experience has shown do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and, therefore, do not require an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 40 CFR 1507.3(b)(1)(iii), 1508.4. The Instruction Manual, Appendix A, Table 1 lists Categorical Exclusions that DHS has found to have no such effect. Under DHS NEPA implementing procedures, for an action to be categorically excluded, it must satisfy each of the following three conditions: (1) The entire action clearly fits within one or more of the categorical exclusions; (2) the action is not a piece of a larger action; and (3) no extraordinary circumstances exist that create the potential for a significant environmental effect. Instruction Manual, section V.B.2(a-c).

This rule temporarily amends the regulations implementing the H-2B nonimmigrant visa program to increase the numerical limitation on H-2B nonimmigrant visas for FY 2022 for positions with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022, based on the Secretary of Homeland Security's determination, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, consistent with the FY 2022 Omnibus. It also allows H-2B beneficiaries who are in the United States to change employers upon the filing of a new H-2B petition and begin to work for the new employer for a period generally not to exceed 60 days before the H-2B petition is approved by USCIS.

DHS has determined that this rule clearly fits within categorical exclusion A3(d) because it interprets or amends a regulation without changing its environmental effect. The amendments to 8 CFR part 214 would authorize up to an additional 35,000 visas for noncitizens who may receive H-2B nonimmigrant visas, of which 23,500 are for returning workers (persons issued H-2B visas or were otherwise granted H-2B status in Fiscal Years 2019, 2020, or 2021). The proposed amendments would also facilitate H-2B nonimmigrants to move to new employment faster than they could if they had to wait for a petition to be approved. The amendment's operative provisions approving H-2B petitions under the supplemental allocation would effectively terminate after September 30, 2022 for the cap increase, and after January 24, 2023 for the portability provision. DHS believes amending applicable regulations to authorize up to an additional 35,000 H-2B nonimmigrant visas will not result in any meaningful, calculable change in environmental effect with respect to the current H-2B limit or in the context of a current U.S. population exceeding 331,000,000 (maximum temporary increase of 0.0106 percent).

The amendment to applicable regulations is a stand-alone temporary authorization and not a part of any larger action, and presents no extraordinary circumstances creating the potential for significant environmental effects. Therefore, this action is categorically excluded and no further NEPA analysis is required.

H. Congressional Review Act

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has determined that this temporary final rule is not a “major rule” as defined by the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 804(2), and thus is not subject to a 60-day delay in the rule becoming effective. DHS will send this temporary final rule to Congress and to the Comptroller General under the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.

I. Paperwork Reduction Act

Attestation for Employers Seeking To Employ H-2B Nonimmigrants Workers Under Section 204 of Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103, Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6

The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., provides that a Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by OMB under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. DOL has submitted the Information Collection Request (ICR) contained in this rule to OMB and obtained approval of a new form, Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6, using emergency clearance procedures outlined at 5 CFR 1320.13. The Departments note that while DOL submitted the ICR, both DHS and DOL will use the information provided by employers in response to this information collection.

Petitioners will use the new Form ETA-9142B-CAA-6 to make attestations regarding, for example, irreparable harm and the returning worker requirement (unless exempt because the H-2B worker is a national of one of the Northern Central American countries or Haiti who is counted against the 11,500 returning worker exemption cap) described above. Petitioners will need to file the attestation with DHS until it announces that the supplemental H-2B cap has been reached. In addition, the petitioner will need to retain all documentation demonstrating compliance with this implementing rule, and must provide it to DHS or DOL in the event of an audit or investigation.

In addition to obtaining immediate emergency approval, DOL is seeking comments on this information collection pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.13. Comments on the information collection must be received by July 18, 2022. This process of engaging the public and other Federal agencies helps ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The PRA provides that a Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by OMB under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. See 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person must generally be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid OMB Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6.

In accordance with the PRA, DOL is affording the public with notice and an opportunity to comment on the new information collection, which is necessary to implement the requirements of this rule. The information collection activities covered under a newly granted OMB Control Number 1205-NEW are required under Section 204 of Division O of the FY 2022 Omnibus, which provides that “the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consultation with the Secretary of Labor, and upon the determination that the needs of American businesses cannot be satisfied in [FY] 2022 with U.S. workers who are willing, qualified, and able to perform temporary nonagricultural labor,” may increase the total number of noncitizens who may receive an H-2B visa in FY 2022 by not more than the highest number of H-2B nonimmigrants who participated in the H-2B returning worker program in any fiscal year in which returning workers were exempt from the H-2B numerical limitation. As previously discussed in the preamble of this rule, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, has decided to increase the numerical limitation on H-2B nonimmigrant visas to authorize the issuance of up to, but not more than, an additional 35,000 visas for FY 2022 for certain H-2B workers with start dates on or after April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022, for U.S. businesses that attest that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable harm. As with the previous supplemental rules, the Secretary has determined that the additional visas will only be available for returning workers, that is workers who were issued H-2B visas or otherwise granted H-2B status in FY 2019, 2020, or 2021, unless the worker is one of the 11,500 nationals of one of the Northern Central American countries and Haiti who are exempt from the returning worker requirement.

Commenters are encouraged to discuss the following:

• Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
• The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
• The quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
• The burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, for example, permitting electronic submission of responses.

The aforementioned information collection requirements are summarized as follows:

Agency: DOL-ETA.

Type of Information Collection: Extension of an existing information collection.

Title of the Collection: Attestation for Employers Seeking to Employ H-2B Nonimmigrants Workers Under Section 204 of Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103.

Agency Form Number: Form ETA-9142-B-CAA-6.

Affected Public: Private Sector—businesses or other for-profits.

Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,304.

Average Responses per Year per Respondent: 1.

Total Estimated Number of Responses: 6,304.

Average Time per Response: 9 hours per application.

Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 56,736 hours.

Total Estimated Other Costs Burden: $0.

Request for Premium Processing Service, Form I-907

The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., provides that a Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by OMB under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, has been approved by OMB and assigned OMB control number 1615-0048. DHS is making no changes to the Form I-907 in connection with this temporary rule implementing the time-limited authority pursuant to Section 204 of Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103 (which expires on September 30, 2022). However, USCIS estimates that this temporary rule may result in approximately 5,905 additional filings of Form I-907 in fiscal year 2022. The current OMB-approved estimate of the number of annual respondents filing a Form I-907 is 319,301. USCIS has determined that the OMB-approved estimate is sufficient to fully encompass the additional respondents who will be filing Form I-907 in connection with this temporary rule, which represents a small fraction of the overall Form I-907 population. Therefore, DHS is not changing the collection instrument or increasing its burden estimates in connection with this temporary rule and is not publishing a notice under the PRA or making revisions to the currently approved burden for OMB control number 1615-0048.

List of Subjects

8 CFR Part 214

• Administrative practice and procedure
• Aliens
• Cultural exchange program
• Employment
• Foreign officials
• Health professions
• Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
• Students

8 CFR Part 274a

• Administrative practice and procedure
• Aliens
• Cultural exchange program
• Employment
• Penalties
• Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
• Students

20 CFR Part 655

• Administrative practice and procedure
• Employment
• Employment and training
• Enforcement
• Foreign workers
• Forest and forest products
• Fraud
• Health professions
• Immigration
• Labor
• Longshore and harbor work
• Migrant workers
• Nonimmigrant workers
• Passports and visas
• Penalties
• Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
• Unemployment
• Wages
• Working conditions

For the reasons discussed in the joint preamble, chapter I of title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

PART 214—NONIMMIGRANT CLASSES

1. Effective May 18, 2022 through May 18, 2025, the authority citation for part 214 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 6 U.S.C. 202, 236; 8 U.S.C. 1101, 1102, 1103, 1182, 1184, 1186a, 1187, 1221, 1281, 1282, 1301-1305, 1357, and 1372; sec. 643, Pub. L. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009-708; Pub. L. 106-386, 114 Stat. 1477-1480; section 141 of the Compacts of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and with the Government of Palau, 48 U.S.C. 1901 note and 1931 note, respectively; 48 U.S.C. 1806; 8 CFR part 2; Pub. L. 115-218, 132 Stat. 1547 (48 U.S.C. 1806).

2. Effective May 18, 2022 through May 18, 2025, amend § 214.2 by adding paragraphs (h)(6)(xii) and (h)(28) to read as follows:

PART 274a—CONTROL OF EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS

3. The authority citation for part 274a continues to read as follows:

Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 1105a, 1324a; 48 U.S.C. 1806; 8 CFR part 2; Pub. L. 101-410, 104 Stat. 890, as amended by Pub. L. 114-74, 129 Stat. 599.

4. Effective May 18, 2022 through May 18, 2025, amend § 274a.12 by adding paragraph (b)(31) to read as follows:

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION

20 CFR Chapter V

Accordingly, for the reasons stated in the joint preamble, 20 CFR part 655 is amended as follows:

PART 655—TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT OF FOREIGN WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES

5. The authority citation for part 655 continues to read as follows:

Authority: Section 655.0 issued under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)(iii), 1101(a)(15)(H)(i) and (ii), 8 U.S.C. 1103(a)(6), 1182(m), (n), and (t), 1184(c), (g), and (j), 1188, and 1288(c) and (d); sec. 3(c)(1), Pub. L. 101-238, 103 Stat. 2099, 2102 (8 U.S.C. 1182 note); sec. 221(a), Pub. L. 101-649, 104 Stat. 4978, 5027 (8 U.S.C. 1184 note); sec. 303(a)(8), Pub. L. 102-232, 105 Stat. 1733, 1748 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note); sec. 323(c), Pub. L. 103-206, 107 Stat. 2428; sec. 412(e), Pub. L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681 (8 U.S.C. 1182 note); sec. 2(d), Pub. L. 106-95, 113 Stat. 1312, 1316 (8 U.S.C. 1182 note); 29 U.S.C. 49k; Pub. L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135, as amended; Pub. L. 109-423, 120 Stat. 2900; 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(i); 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iii); and sec. 6, Pub. L. 115-218, 132 Stat. 1547 (48 U.S.C. 1806).

Subpart A issued under 8 CFR 214.2(h).

Subpart B issued under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a), 1184(c), and 1188; and 8 CFR 214.2(h).

Subpart E issued under 48 U.S.C. 1806.

Subparts F and G issued under 8 U.S.C. 1288(c) and (d); sec. 323(c), Pub. L. 103-206, 107 Stat. 2428; and 28 U.S.C. 2461 note, Pub. L. 114-74 at section 701.

Subparts H and I issued under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) and (b)(1), 1182(n), and (t), and 1184(g) and (j); sec. 303(a)(8), Pub. L. 102-232, 105 Stat. 1733, 1748 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note); sec. 412(e), Pub. L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681; 8 CFR 214.2(h); and 28 U.S.C. 2461 note, Pub. L. 114-74 at section 701.

Subparts L and M issued under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(c) and 1182(m); sec. 2(d), Public Law 106-95, 113 Stat. 1312, 1316 (8 U.S.C. 1182 note); Public Law 109-423, 120 Stat. 2900; and 8 CFR 214.2(h).

6. Effective May 18, 2022 through September 30, 2022, add § 655.65 to read as follows:

7. Effective May 18, 2022 through September 30, 2025, add § 655.66 to read as follows: