43-Day Government Shutdown Ends

On November 12, Congress passed and President Trump signed a short-term spending bill, officially ending the 43-day federal government shutdown that began on October 1. The bill includes a “three-in-one appropriations package” through next September and funds all federal agencies through January 30, 2026, allowing the government to resume normal operations at pre-shutdown budget levels while providing additional time to continue negotiations on the FY2026 budget.

At the same time, the bill fully restores funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, ensuring continued food assistance for more than 40 million people in the United States. It also provides for the return of furloughed federal employees and back pay for those affected, preventing further layoffs. However, Democrats requested Affordable Care Act provisions were not included, and Democrats in both the House and Senate indicated that they will continue advocating for these measures.

Although the government has reopened, backlogs and delays caused by the shutdown continue. For employment-based immigration, the direct impact is relatively limited, as most core immigration functions continued operating during the shutdown or have recently resumed. Still, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the E-Verify system were offline for several weeks. While both have now fully resumed operations, those interruptions may still affect the processing timeline of certain cases.

With the government’s return to normal operations, the DOL has issued some preliminary guidance. However, certain issues remain unresolved, particularly how to treat PERM recruitment steps that reached their deadlines during the earliest phase of the shutdown. Official clarification is still pending.

Even though this shutdown has ended, a new shutdown remains possible if budget negotiations fail to reach agreement before the end of January. To minimize potential disruptions, employers and foreign workers should proactively plan for any steps that rely on DOL processes, including:

• PERM labor certification

• LCA (Labor Condition Application)

• Any USCIS or consular filings that require prior DOL approval

  
  

Because DOL downtime is typically the most disruptive element of a federal shutdown for employers, early preparation can help reduce risks in the event of another lapse in government funding. We will continue monitoring developments in the FY2026 budget negotiations and will provide updates promptly when new government guidance or policy changes are released.