Southwest Airlines Co. filed 345 labor condition applications (LCAs) for H-1B visas and 30 labor certifications (LCs) for green cards during fiscal years 2022 - 2024. Southwest Airlines was ranked number 538 among all visa sponsors. Additionally, 3 LCAs were denied or withdrawn during the same period.
Before Southwest Airlines can hire foreign workers, whether permanently or temporarily, it must submit labor certifications to the Department of Labor (DOL). These certifications confirm compliance with wage requirements for the specified job locations.The reports below summarize Labor Condition Applications (LCA) for H-1B visas and Labor Certifications (LC) for green cards filed by Southwest Airlines. This data represents only the number of applications submitted and does not guarantee visa approvals or worker hires.
The LCA data includes applications for various purposes: new employment, continuation or changes to previously approved employment, new concurrent employment, changes in employer, and amended petitions. Typically, only LCAs for new employment require an H-1B visa cap if the employer is not cap-exempt.For example, Southwest Airlines submitted 417 LCAs and LCs during fiscal years 2022 - 2024. However, this figure does not necessarily reflect the number of foreign workers hired, as visa applications can be denied. Additionally, employees renewing or transferring H-1B visas or changing work locations may need to file new LCAs.
The DOL generally certifies more than three times the number of foreign worker requests compared to the H-1B visas issued by USCIS. Therefore, there is no direct correlation between the number of workers certified by the DOL and the H-1B visas issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).