The US Department of Labor has barred four companies from taking part in the H-1B skilled-worker visa programme after finding that they were “willful violators” of federal immigration and labour rules.
The updated list is maintained by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, or WHD. It took effect on June 1, 2026, and was last updated on May 29, 2026.
The list names employers that were found to have broken promises they made while sponsoring foreign workers. These promises, known as attestations, cover issues such as wages, working conditions and the accuracy of information given to the government.
Four companies on the list
The four employers currently listed by the department are:
GowraTech, LLC — barred from May 12, 2025, to May 11, 2027.
Renotek Group LLC — barred from August 8, 2025, to August 7, 2027.
Seeloz, Inc. — barred from March 4, 2026, to March 3, 2028.
Sherwood at Mount Dora, Inc., doing business as Sherwood Academy — barred from May 26, 2026, to May 25, 2028.
One of the companies is the newest company on the list, with its debarment period having recently started. Firms placed on the list are temporarily barred from filing H-1B petitions during their penalty period.
What does ‘willful violator’ mean?
The “willful violator” label is given only after a formal legal finding.
According to the Labor Department’s guidance, a company can receive the designation following a Department of Labor enforcement case under Section 212(n)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or an enforcement case by the Department of Justice under Section 212(n)(5) of the same law.
In such a case, the agency must find that the employer either willfully failed to follow the rules or misrepresented an important fact connected to its Labor Condition Applications, or LCAs.
These applications are part of the H-1B process and include an employer’s promises about pay and working conditions for foreign workers.
The department’s rules apply to qualifying findings made on or after October 21, 1998. This means the willful-violator system has been part of H-1B enforcement for more than two decades.
What happens when a company is debarred?
Being placed on the list is not just a warning.
During the debarment period, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification will not accept H-1B-related filings from the company. The penalty generally lasts between one and three years, depending on the seriousness of the violation.
In practical terms, this can prevent a company from bringing new H-1B workers to the US. In some cases, the restriction can also affect related visa categories that depend on the same certification process.
For workers who already have H-1B status through a company that is later debarred, the situation is different. Debarment generally affects an employer’s ability to file new petitions and does not automatically cancel an H-1B status that has already been granted. However, workers may need individual legal advice depending on their circumstances.
Why the list is important
The debarment list may be a small and regularly updated section of the Labor Department’s website, but it is important for people involved in the H-1B system.
Immigration lawyers, staffing companies and people looking for jobs with H-1B sponsorship often check the list before accepting an offer from a potential employer, including workers looking at opportunities from India and other countries.
Being on the list serves as a public warning that a federal proceeding found the employer had broken its legal promises involving foreign workers.
Over the years, the list has included different types of employers, from small consulting companies to staffing firms. Some have been debarred over issues such as failing to pay workers the required wages, leaving workers without pay between assignments, or providing incorrect information in labour certification filings.
Once a company’s debarment period ends, it is generally expected to be removed from the list unless another violation leads to a new penalty.
H-1B programme faces wider scrutiny
The update comes as the H-1B programme continues to face scrutiny from employers, lawmakers and worker groups.
Different sides have raised concerns and made competing arguments about how the visa programme should be managed and how closely employers should be monitored.
For now, the Labor Department’s latest action is focused on four companies. Each has been given a specific penalty period and is temporarily shut out of a visa programme that thousands of US employers use every year to hire specialised foreign workers.
The department has not said whether other companies are currently being investigated. It also generally does not comment on enforcement cases that are still pending until they are resolved.
