January 2021, Volume 27, Number 1
DOL debars an average 15 H-2A employers a year
DOL may debar and block applications from employers who are seeking to hire foreign workers from one to three years for failure to pay the wages promised or to offer the housing and working conditions promised in their job orders for H-2A and H-2B workers. In the four years between FY15 and FY18, DOL received over 39,000 applications from employer for H-2A workers, and audited 3,100 or eight percent. DOL debarred 57 farm employers, about 15 a year, from applying for H-2A workers.
| FY 2015 — FY 2018 Totals | ||
|---|---|---|
| H-2A | H-2B | |
| Applications Certified | 39,375 | 27,425 |
| Application Audits Completed | 3,140 | 1,354 |
| Application Audits Completed Divided by to the Number of Certified Applications (%) | 8.0% | 4.9% |
| Number of Debarment Cases | 57 | 22 |
| Number of Debarment Cases Divided by to the Number of Application Audits Completed (%) | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| Source: OIG analysis based on date ETA provided. | ||