This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh is an active member.
On July 8, 2026, the Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) announced the Assignment Groups for 2,625 H-2B applications covering 51,158 worker positions with a work start date of October 1, 2026, received during the July 3-5, 2026, filing period. OFLC completed the randomization process on July 6, 2026.
Due to the number of applications filed and the number of worker positions requested, cases were randomized into two groups, assignment group A (1,881 cases) and assignment group B (744 cases), OFLC said. Cases in Group A are being assigned to National Processing Center analysts for issuance of Notices of Acceptance or Deficiency. Group A includes enough worker positions to reach the H-2B semi-annual visa allotment of 33,000. One additional Assignment Group was created for the remaining applications and associated worker positions. Each filing was randomly given a unique number in accordance with OFLC’s randomization process and placed into a group for assignment to analysts for review and processing, OFLC explained.
On July 6, 2026, OFLC provided written notice to each employer (and the employer’s authorized attorney or agent) informing them about the Assignment Group for their application(s).
