Foreign Labor Certification Grant Planning Guidance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 through FY 2027

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has issued Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 15-24, providing detailed guidance for State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) on planning and applying for Foreign Labor Certification (FLC) grants for Fiscal Years (FY) 2025 through 2027. Administered by ETA’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), the grant supports state-level operations necessary to comply with federal regulations tied to the hiring of foreign workers through programs such as H-2A, H-2B, and CW-1. The purpose of this grant program is to ensure that U.S. workers are given priority access to available job opportunities and that employers only hire foreign labor when qualified U.S. workers are unavailable. It also aims to safeguard fair wages, working conditions, and housing standards for both U.S. and foreign workers. Key activities funded through these grants include the review and posting of job orders, conducting pre-occupancy housing inspections, performing agricultural wage and practice surveys, and ensuring employer compliance through site visits. For the CW-1 program in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the grant supports the placement of job advertisements and submission of prevailing wage studies. Each SWA must submit a three-year strategic grant plan, including detailed documentation such as SF-424 and SF-424A forms, a budget narrative, and a certification letter. The application must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov within 30 calendar days of TEGL issuance, unless an extension is granted. The strategic plan should outline the intended program activities from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2027. Though spending within the fiscal year is encouraged, states are allowed up to two years to expend allocated funds. A total of $23,282,000 has been allocated for FY 2025, with individual state allotments based on prior workload data. For instance, states with minimal FLC activity, such as Guam and the Virgin Islands, receive a base allocation of $5,000, while states like California and Florida receive over $1 million. Funding is disbursed based on two main components: a base allocation and a workload allocation, calculated using data from FY 2022 through 2024, including the number of housing inspections and job orders processed. Eligible applicants are exclusively State Workforce Agencies, including the CNMI-DOL for CW-1 activities. All applications must be compliant with Uniform Administrative Requirements as per 2 CFR Part 200 and Part 2900. Matching funds are not required, and there is no minimum or maximum award limit for each SWA beyond what has been specified per state in the TEGL's Attachment II. Key evaluation factors include the completeness of the submitted documents, adherence to statutory responsibilities, and demonstrated capacity to carry out the required FLC activities. All applications are reviewed within 30 calendar days of submission, and awards are issued upon approval. For assistance or inquiries, applicants should contact the OFLC National Office at FLC.Grant@dol.gov. Monitoring visits may be conducted remotely or onsite with a 60-day notice, and grantees must use the FLAG system to report activities and track progress.