H-2B and CW-1 filings carry four kinds of Department of Labor number, and all four can be looked up here, pending ones included.
| Number starts | What it is | Form |
|---|---|---|
H-400- | H-2B application | ETA-9142B |
P-400- | H-2B prevailing wage request | ETA-9141 |
C-500- | CW-1 application, Northern Mariana Islands | ETA-9142C |
P-500- | CW-1 prevailing wage request | ETA-9141 |
Paste any of them into the case status lookup. DOL is asked on the spot if the number isn't on file yet.
When DOL decides
An H-2B application goes in 75 to 90 days before the start date (20 CFR 655.15(b)), a CW-1 application no more than 120 days before (655.420). DOL answers an H-2B application within 7 business days with a notice of acceptance or of deficiency (655.31, 655.33).
Unlike H-2A, no rule fixes the decision before the work starts, and the files show it: about a quarter of H-2B certifications came after the start date. So the case page counts from the filing date instead.
How well that held, tested on later decisions: H-2B's middle half caught 43% of 15,225 (half is the aim), and CW-1's caught 58% of 1,126. Every method missed the January 2026 filing surge by 28 to 40 days, so treat a January date as the roughest.
Two things DOL's live status doesn't say
NOR ISSUED is a rejection. DOL defines the term nowhere, but its own files do: all 547 NOR cases they hold read "determination issued, rejected". The page reports it as decided.
Some decided applications stay on IN PROCESS. Of the H-2B applications filed October 2024 to March 2026 still reading IN PROCESS on October 7, 2026, DOL's file held a decision for 1,725 of 1,726. Where the file has one, the page shows the file's decision and says so.
What the statuses mean
| Status | Where the case is |
|---|---|
| IN PROCESS | Filed, not yet acted on |
| NOD ISSUED | DOL found a problem; the employer has 10 business days to fix it or ask a judge |
| ACCEPTED - PENDING RECRUITMENT | Accepted; the employer is recruiting U.S. workers |
| FULL CERTIFICATION, PARTIAL CERTIFICATION | Certified for all, or some, of the workers asked for |
| DENIED, NOR ISSUED, WITHDRAWN | Refused, rejected, or pulled by the employer |
| DETERMINATION ISSUED | A wage request answered with the wage |
A wage the employer disputes goes to the center's director within 7 business days, then to the appeals board within 10 (655.13). Every status is defined on the status dictionary.
From October 2024 to June 2026, DOL certified 76% of the 34,625 H-2B applications it decided and 55% of the 4,002 CW-1 ones. H-2A, H-2B and CW-1 cases charts them week by week.
Get an email when it moves
The lookup page has a box for your address. You get an email at each status change, and for a year after the decision in case it's appealed or reopened. Every email has a one-click stop.
What this guide can't tell you
- Whether the H-2B cap has room. USCIS counts the cap at the petition stage; DOL's certification doesn't use a number.
- Why DOL sent a notice or rejected an application. The letter goes to the employer.
- Anything after DOL: the petition is USCIS's and the visa the consulate's.
