H-2 Petitioner's Employment
Related or Fee Related Notification
Revision of a currently approved collection
No
Regular
01/08/2025
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
07/31/2025
9,264
3,757
3,892
1,879
1,855
18,785
USCIS requires H-2 petitioners to
notify USCIS when (1) a worker fails to report to work within 5
workdays of the employment start date listed on the petition; (2)
the labor or services for which H-2 workers were hired is completed
more than 30 days early; (3) a worker leaves the worksite without
notice; or (4) a worker is terminated prior to the completion of
the labor or services for which the worker was hired. The
notification requirement is necessary to ensure that H-2 workers
maintain their nonimmigrant status and helps prevent H-2 workers
from engaging in unauthorized employment. The information collected
in employment-related notification submitted by H-2 petitioners is
used by USCIS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). USCIS may forward
relevant information to both ICE and CBP. ICE uses the information
for future adjudicative purposes and CBP uses it to collect all
liquidated damage payments from H-2 petitioners. Establishing
compliance with this notification requirement is also a condition
of H-2A petitioners being able to request substitutions for H-2A
workers who have been admitted to the U.S according to 8 CFR
214.2(h)(5)(ix).
There is a 2,012 increase to
the estimated annual hour burden and a 16,933 decrease in the
estimated annual cost burden to respondents as a result of new
agency estimates for the number of H-2 Petitioner’s Employment
Related Notification respondents for this information collection.
USCIS is now tracking all Employment Related Notifications by the
method respondents use to send USCIS notifications. As a result, we
found a five (5) minute (.4167 hours) time burden reduction per
respondent in using the email method to send USCIS notifications.
USCIS also changed the form number from “OMB-49” to “I-129N” for
naming consistency with other USCIS forms. Additionally, USCIS
revised the information collection to remove fee-related
notifications as this data is no longer collected and changed the
form title accordingly. We also removed the term "absconder" and
“abscondment” in an effort to recognize that workers may have valid
reasons for leaving their contracts. These additional revisions as
stated are related to the Modernizing H-2 Program Requirements,
Oversight, and Worker Protections, proposed rule, 88 FR 65040 (Sep.
20, 2023) and are contingent on the successful completion of that
rulemaking.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.