USCIS Stops Accepting CW-1 Petitions Under the Disaster Recovery Workforce Act

USCIS will no longer accept CW-1 petitions filed by employers in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (the CNMI) under the Disaster Recovery Workforce Act on or after Oct. 1, 2022.

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 included the Disaster Recovery Workforce Act, Title IX, Div. P, Pub. L. 116-94 (48 U.S.C. 1801 note). The Disaster Recovery Workforce Act increased the CW-1 cap by 3,000 for fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022, for construction and extraction occupations for certain workers performing service or labor directly connected to, or associated with recovery from a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency, or for preparation for a future disaster or emergency. As a CW-1 petition filed under the Disaster Recovery Workforce Act must request a start date no later than Sept. 30, 2022. USCIS cannot accept petitions under the Disaster Recovery Workforce Act filed after Sept. 30, and any such petitions will be denied.

Starting Oct. 1, construction and extraction occupations are prohibited under the CW-1 program, except for long-term workers. USCIS continues to accept CW-1 petitions other than those seeking approval under the Disaster Recovery Workforce Act.

Additional information on the CW-1 program is available on the CW-1: CNMI-Only Transitional Worker page.