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Labor Surplus Area Classification

CategoriesEmployment-basedWork visas
Signals
Neutral sentiment
Medium impact
TopicsEmployment-based green card
Fed. Register
Processing
Summary

Informational only, not legal advice. Confirm deadlines on the official notice or with a qualified professional.

The Department of Labor has released the annual Labor Surplus Area classification list for Fiscal Year 2027. This list identifies geographic areas with high unemployment and affects labor certification requirements for employment-based green card petitions and certain visa programs. Employers in non-surplus areas may face different processing requirements or burden of proof standards.
Full official notice
Fed. Register

Authoritative text and filing details are always on the publisher’s site.

Document info
TypeNotice
SourceFed. Register
PublishedSeptember 1, 2026

The purpose of this notice is to announce the annual Labor Surplus Area (LSA) list for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027.

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