After a 38-day government shutdown that shuttered the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system, the U.S. Department of Labor announced late on November 8 that the portal is live again and accepting new filings. The outage had halted prevailing-wage determinations and labor certification processing for PERM, H-2A, H-2B, H-1B, E-3 and H-1B1 cases, leaving thousands of employers unable to move forward with time-sensitive visa petitions.
During the downtime mobility teams could neither file new Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) nor download certified documents needed for consular appointments. With the system once more operational, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) cautions that backlogs may create longer than normal processing times through year-end.
![Labor Department reopens FLAG portal, ending month-long freeze on work-visa filings]()
Agriculture groups in Georgia and Florida welcomed the news, stressing that further delays would have jeopardized spring 2026 planting schedules that rely on H-2A workers. Technology and consulting firms are likewise racing to file LCAs so they can lodge H-1B amendments triggered by client-site changes before holiday shutdowns.
Practically, mobility managers should: (1) resubmit any applications that failed during the outage; (2) monitor FLAG’s message board for staggered launch of sub-modules such as PWD redeterminations; and (3) warn hiring managers that OFLC may issue Requests for Information to clear the application bulge. Employers with hard assignment start-dates in Q1 2026 may need to consider premium processing once USCIS receives the certified paperwork.
During the downtime mobility teams could neither file new Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) nor download certified documents needed for consular appointments. With the system once more operational, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) cautions that backlogs may create longer than normal processing times through year-end.
Agriculture groups in Georgia and Florida welcomed the news, stressing that further delays would have jeopardized spring 2026 planting schedules that rely on H-2A workers. Technology and consulting firms are likewise racing to file LCAs so they can lodge H-1B amendments triggered by client-site changes before holiday shutdowns.
Practically, mobility managers should: (1) resubmit any applications that failed during the outage; (2) monitor FLAG’s message board for staggered launch of sub-modules such as PWD redeterminations; and (3) warn hiring managers that OFLC may issue Requests for Information to clear the application bulge. Employers with hard assignment start-dates in Q1 2026 may need to consider premium processing once USCIS receives the certified paperwork.
