Wed Mar 19 23:30:00 UTC 2025: **US to Purge Old H-1B Visa Records from Foreign Labor Access Gateway System**
**Washington, D.C.** – The Trump administration is set to overhaul the H-1B visa application process by purging old records from the Foreign Labor Access Gateway (FLAG) system, effective March 20th (US time). This move will significantly impact the H-1B visa program, which allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.
According to a recent announcement, all records older than five years will be deleted. This means records for applications finalized on March 22nd, 2020, for example, will be removed on March 22nd, 2025. Companies have been instructed to download any necessary records older than five years before March 19th to avoid data loss. The purge will affect all temporary labor condition applications and permanent labor certification applications, including H-1B visas.
The Office of Foreign Labor Certification stated that the changes aim to improve transparency and efficiency in the visa issuance process. The US immigration department will soon launch a new application process. While the administration cites improved transparency as the reason for the purge, the move has been met with some concern from employers who rely on these records for historical data and compliance purposes. The impact of this data deletion on future H-1B visa processing remains to be seen.
First Piper 