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 to provide detailed grant planning guidance for State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. This guidance establishes funding allotments for FY 2025 and outlines the strategic planning and application requirements SWAs must meet to obtain funding for foreign labor certification activities. The foreign labor certification program is managed by ETA’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) and plays a key role in ensuring U.S. workers are given priority for available jobs before employers are allowed to hire foreign labor. ETA provides annual cost-reimbursable grants to SWAs to support their implementation of federally mandated foreign labor certification services. These include activities such as reviewing and placing H-2A and H-2B job orders, inspecting housing for H-2A workers, conducting prevailing wage and practice surveys, and supporting employer compliance through post-certification site visits. The grants also fund services related to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ (CNMI) CW-1 labor program. Each SWA must submit a three-year strategic grant plan within 30 calendar days of the TEGL’s issuance, unless an extension is granted. Applications must be submitted electronically via www.grants.gov and must include several documents: the three-year strategic plan, a signed SF-424 and SF-424A, a detailed budget narrative, and if applicable, an indirect cost agreement. A high-quality application must include detailed activity descriptions, deliverables, outcomes, and plans for monitoring, stakeholder outreach, and post-award compliance. Within 30 days of submission, OFLC will review applications and notify SWAs of any deficiencies or request clarifications before issuing the Notice of Award. The total funding for FY 2025 is $23,282,000, with allocations varying by state based on historical workload. For example, California receives $2,221,084, while states with minimal workloads such as Guam and the Virgin Islands receive $5,000 each. Grant recipients are expected to spend their funds within the fiscal year, though they have up to two additional years to expend the funds fully. However, remaining balances may affect future funding eligibility. The application also requires SWAs to detail compliance procedures, outreach strategies, job order processing systems, housing inspection plans, and prevailing wage survey schedules. Additional responsibilities include providing documentation to OFLC, cooperating with investigations, and referring any violations to appropriate agencies. Each SWA must also designate contacts for H-2A, H-2B, CW-1, and fiscal matters. All inquiries regarding this funding opportunity should be directed to the OFLC National Office at FLC.Grant@dol.gov. SWAs must ensure their strategic plans and operations comply with all applicable statutory, regulatory, and administrative requirements as outlined in the TEGL and its attachments.

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