US government updates list of H-1B Debarred and Disqualified companies; names these four as ‘willful violators’; here’s what this means
The US Department of Labor has updated its list of employers s barred from participating in the H-1B visa program. The department has named four companies as “willful violators” of H-1B rules. The updated list, effective July 1, 2026, includes GowraTech, LLC, Renotek Group LLC, Seeloz, Inc., and Sherwood at Mount Dora, Inc. dba Sherwood Academy. Employers placed on this list are temporarily prohibited from filing H-1B petitions. Notably, the list is maintained by the department’s Wage and Hour Division and identifies companies that have been debarred from the H-1B program for a fixed period.
Which companies are on the updated list of employetrs barred from H-1B via program
According to the latest update, the following employers have been designated as willful violators:
- GowraTech, LLC – Debarment period: May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2027
- Renotek Group LLC – Debarment period: August 8, 2025 to August 7, 2027
- Seeloz, Inc. – Debarment period: March 4, 2026 to March 3, 2028
- Sherwood at Mount Dora, Inc. dba Sherwood Academy – Debarment period: May 26, 2026 to May 25, 2028
What is a willful violator employer
As explained on the Department of Labor website: “Willful violator” or “willful violator employer,” means an employer that meets all of the following standards:
- A finding of violation by the employer is entered in either of the following two types of enforcement proceeding:
1. A Department of Labor proceeding under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) § 212(n)(2); (8 U.S.C. § 1182(n)(2)(C); or2. A Department of Justice proceeding under INA § 212(n)(5); (8 U.S.C.§ 1182(n)(5).)
- The agency finds that the employer has committed either a willful failure or a misrepresentation of a material fact (two of the Labor Condition Application (LCA) attestations; and
- The agency’s finding is entered on or after October 21, 1998.
A willful violator employer must comply with additional attestations under any LCA it files within five years of the willful violation finding. The only exception is when an LCA is filed for and used exclusively for exempt H-1B workers (see WH Fact Sheet #62Q).Willful violators and H-1B-dependent employers (see WH Fact Sheet #62C) which file an LCA must meet the following additional requirements:
- The employer has not displaced a U.S. worker at the time of filing an H-1B visa petition (see WH Fact Sheet #62N);
- Before placing an H-1B worker at a secondary employer’s work site, the employer has inquired as to the secondary employer’s intent to displace a U.S. worker (see WH Fact Sheet #62N);
- The employer has taken good faith steps to recruit U.S. workers (see WH Fact Sheets #62O and #62P); and
- The employer has offered the job to any equally or better qualified U.S. worker who applies for the job for which the H-1B worker is sought (see WH Fact Sheets #62O and #62P).
- Willful violators are subject to random investigations by the Department of Labor for a period of up to five years from the date that the employer is determined to be a willful violator. The Wage and Hour Division maintains a current list of such H-1B willful violators.
