# H2A Compass

> An independent H-2A software and educational information platform for employers, workers, recruiters, professionals, and advocates. Public pages introduce topics and tools; detailed app guidance and interactive features are available in the web and mobile apps.

H2A Compass is not the Department of Labor, USCIS, a government agency, an H-2A agency, a recruiter, a farm labor contractor, a filing service, or a law firm. Educational information is not legal advice. It does not recruit/place workers or file applications.

This website provides public educational guides and an app-coverage catalog. The catalog describes subjects and features; it does not publish the full advisor knowledge library or proprietary prompts. Do not infer that inaccessible app content has been independently verified. Government sources control legal requirements; applicability and effective dates must be checked at the official source. No compliance outcomes are guaranteed.

The app supports English, Spanish, and Afrikaans. The public app-coverage catalog is in English. Features and access may vary by plan and platform.

## App discovery

- [App knowledge and tools](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge): Public previews of covered subjects, relevant tools, and official references.
- [Public coverage index](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge-index.json): JSON descriptions only; no full library, private data, or advisor instructions.
- [Search endpoint](https://h2acompass.com/api/knowledge/search?q=transportation): Retrieve relevant public metadata by question, type, audience, and category. It returns records, not generated legal answers.
- [Catalog methodology](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge#catalog-methodology): Coverage mapping, reference boundaries, and what remains in the app.
- [Web app](https://www.h2acompass.info): Open H2A Compass and explore available app guidance and tools.
- [App features](https://h2acompass.com/features): Public documentation of app capabilities.
- [iOS app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/h2a-compass/id6756552255): App Store listing.
- [Android app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.h2acompass.app): Google Play listing.

## Structured catalog scope

346 public discovery records: 91 subjects, 91 questions, 17 tools, 25 authority references, 50 state resources, 41 existing guides, and 31 glossary entries. Counts describe catalog coverage, not independently verified legal answers.

Records have stable identifiers, explicit subject/tool/reference relationships, public resource links, and app destinations. Null verification and effective dates mean no claim-level verification or effective-date determination is being asserted. Record metadata can be retrieved at /api/knowledge/records/{id}; unknown identifiers return 404.

## Subjects covered in the app

- [H-2A program overview](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/program-overview): The roles of labor certification, immigration petitions, and agricultural employment within the H-2A process.
- [Temporary and seasonal need](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/temporary-need): The distinction between the employer's labor need and the agricultural work itself, including questions about recurring operations.
- [Dairy operations and H-2A](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/dairy): Dairy-related eligibility questions, labor-need documentation, and related agency guidance. The catalog does not decide whether an operation qualifies.
- [Employer obligations](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/employer-obligations): How job terms, recruitment, wages, housing, transportation, and records fit together in the app's consolidated reference.
- [Agricultural associations and joint employment](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/agricultural-associations): Association filing arrangements, employer roles, and questions about responsibility across member employers.
- [Farm labor contractors](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/farm-labor-contractors): Contractor-specific filing and responsibility topics, alongside agency references and employer relationships.
- [Joint employer responsibilities](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/joint-employment): Responsibility questions involving growers, contractors, associations, and other employment arrangements.
- [Choosing an agency or professional adviser](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/choosing-agencies): Questions to ask prospective service providers about responsibilities, fees, communication, and scope of services.
- [H-2A filing timelines](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/filing-timelines): Preparation milestones and the relationship between State Workforce Agency, DOL, USCIS, and visa-application stages.
- [Date of need and contract planning](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/date-of-need): How a planned employment start date connects to preparation, recruitment, and application questions.
- [ETA-790 / ETA-790A job orders](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/eta-790a): Job order form terminology, material terms, and the relationship to recruitment and certification records.
- [ETA-9142A labor certification application](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/eta-9142a): Application-stage questions, related forms, and information to organize before professional or agency review.
- [Job order terms and work contracts](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/job-order-terms): The connection between stated duties, wage offers, schedules, housing, travel, and worker-facing terms.
- [State Workforce Agencies](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/swa): The State Workforce Agency's place in job-order handling and how to find state-specific reference resources.
- [Temporary labor certification](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/labor-certification): DOL certification-stage terminology and its relationship to recruitment and subsequent immigration questions.
- [Deficiencies, modifications and filing changes](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/deficiencies-and-modifications): Questions about application corrections, changing job terms, and interpreting agency notices with qualified advisers.
- [Certification decisions and appeals](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/certification-decisions): Decision terminology, related administrative procedures, and questions to take to a filing or legal professional.
- [Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR)](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/aewr): AEWR terminology, official wage tables, and the relationship between occupation, location, and applicable wage sources.
- [SOC occupation classification](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/soc-codes): Occupation-code research and how actual duties relate to wage-table questions. The catalog does not classify a job for you.
- [AEWR skill-level methodology](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/skill-levels): The statistical wage-distribution definitions used for Skill I and Skill II, rather than assumed worker seniority or experience bands.
- [OEWS wage data](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/oews): The distinction between a statistical wage survey and the wage requirements relevant to a particular job offer.
- [Comparing applicable wage sources](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/wage-comparison): The wage sources to research together, including AEWR publications, prevailing rates, minimum wages, and collective bargaining terms.
- [Prevailing wage and piece-rate sources](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/prevailing-wages): Official prevailing-rate information and questions about its relationship to a job's other wage sources.
- [Federal and state minimum wage context](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/minimum-wages): The need to distinguish federal wage sources from state-specific resources without assuming that one table answers every wage question.
- [Collective bargaining wage terms](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/collective-bargaining): Questions about contract-specific wage provisions and their connection to the job offer and other applicable wage sources.
- [Housing-related wage adjustments](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/housing-wage-adjustment): Wage-table and housing-adjustment terminology, affected worker categories, and official publication context; no adjustment is calculated here.
- [Piece-rate earnings](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/piece-rates): Piece-rate pay questions, hourly comparisons, and the records needed to investigate earnings.
- [Mixed duties and wage research](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/mixed-duties): Questions about multiple tasks, occupation codes, job-order descriptions, and wage publications.
- [Pay statements and earnings records](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/pay-statements): How earnings statements, itemized amounts, and supporting records fit into pay-review questions.
- [Pay deductions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/deductions): Deduction categories, disclosure questions, supporting records, and the connection to job terms and worker concerns.
- [Meals and meal charges](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/meal-charges): Meal arrangements, charge-related publications, and deduction questions to investigate alongside the job offer.
- [Three-fourths guarantee](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/three-fourths-guarantee): Work-guarantee terminology, contract inputs, calculations, and documentation questions; no individual entitlement is determined here.
- [Staggered entry and guarantee questions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/staggered-entry): How arrival and work-start circumstances raise contract and work-guarantee questions for different workers.
- [Work-guarantee shortfalls](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/guarantee-shortfalls): Questions about work offered, documentation, contract changes, and the calculator inputs needed for a shortfall review.
- [State and occupation wage resources](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/state-wage-resources): Navigating state-level information without treating a state name alone as a complete wage determination.
- [Agricultural overtime and state law](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/state-overtime): The distinction between federal agricultural wage-and-hour questions and state-specific overtime resources.
- [H-2A housing standards](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/housing-standards): Housing arrangements, applicable standards, worker questions, and inspection preparation within the app's reference.
- [Housing inspections](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/housing-inspections): Inspection preparation, documented findings, and state agency reference resources.
- [Housing costs and worker deductions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/housing-costs): Questions about housing arrangements, costs, wage deductions, and the relevant job-offer provisions.
- [Hotels and public accommodations](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/public-accommodations): Housing-type distinctions and the sources to investigate for a hotel, motel, or other public-accommodation arrangement.
- [Cooking facilities and meal arrangements](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/cooking-facilities): The relationship between housing facilities, meals, charges, and disclosed job terms.
- [Housing sanitation and safety](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/housing-safety): Sanitation, water, utilities, and safety subjects used for inspection preparation without reproducing the full checklist.
- [Inbound transportation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/inbound-transportation): Travel to the place of employment, reimbursement questions, and related job-offer and wage subjects.
- [Outbound transportation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/outbound-transportation): Return-travel questions and how contract completion, separation, or successive employment changes the issues to investigate.
- [Daily worksite transportation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/daily-transportation): Transportation between housing and worksites, safety concerns, and relevant job terms.
- [Travel subsistence](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/subsistence): Travel-related subsistence terminology, agency publications, and records to organize for reimbursement questions.
- [Transportation reimbursement questions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/travel-reimbursement): Reimbursement timing, expenses, documentation, and related pay-review subjects for educational investigation.
- [Personal reimbursement records](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/worker-reimbursement-records): Organizing recruitment and travel payment records so workers can investigate reimbursement questions in the app.
- [Recruitment of U.S. workers](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/positive-recruitment): Domestic recruitment terminology, agency coordination, and documentation questions.
- [Recruitment reports](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/recruitment-report): How recruitment documentation connects to certification and later compliance questions.
- [Corresponding employment](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/corresponding-employment): Worker-category terminology and the connection to job duties, wage research, and employer obligations.
- [Recruitment fees and expenses](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/recruitment-fees): Payment documentation, recruiter questions, employer assurances, and worker complaint resources.
- [Choosing a recruiter](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/choosing-recruiters): Questions about recruitment payments, job information, contracts, communication, and worker protections.
- [Worker rights and protections](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/worker-rights): The app's consolidated worker-focused reference across pay, housing, transportation, contracts, and complaint resources.
- [Retaliation concerns](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/retaliation): Questions about protected concerns, documentation, and official complaint or professional-support resources.
- [WH-4 and wage complaint resources](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/wh4-complaints): Complaint terminology, preparation of information, and official WHD resources. The app does not submit a complaint for you.
- [Contract disclosure and language](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/contract-disclosure): Questions about understanding disclosed job terms and organizing worker-facing documents.
- [Passports and personal documents](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/passport-access): Worker-document access concerns, personal records, and relevant official or professional-support resources.
- [Workplace safety questions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/worker-safety): Workplace communication, housing safety, and sources to investigate safety concerns.
- [Multilingual workplace communication](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/workplace-communication): Workplace phrase subjects and educational language support in English, Spanish, and Afrikaans.
- [Record retention](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/record-retention): Employer record categories, retention questions, and documentation organization without publishing a full retention manual.
- [Document organization](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/document-organization): Organizing job, pay, housing, travel, and other relevant documents using app features—not uploading them to this catalog.
- [Worker personal recordkeeping](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/worker-personal-records): Personal records of job terms, payments, and concerns. This does not describe an employer hours-worked or payroll time-tracking service.
- [DOL audit preparation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/audit-readiness): Bringing related wage, housing, recruitment, travel, and recordkeeping subjects together for self-assessment.
- [WHD investigations](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/dol-investigations): Investigation terminology, records, and questions that may need professional advice; no representation is provided.
- [Civil money penalties](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/civil-money-penalties): Penalty-related authority, publication context, and the need to check current official amounts instead of relying on this preview.
- [Enforcement remedies and back wages](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/enforcement-remedies): Enforcement and remedy terminology, supporting records, and questions to review with a qualified professional.
- [Debarment and program participation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/debarment): Program-participation and enforcement topics, with related agency procedures to research.
- [Regulatory changes and official publications](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/regulatory-updates): Connecting rulemaking publications, wage updates, and agency guidance without declaring unverified legal status.
- [Litigation and applicability questions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/litigation-context): How to distinguish an agency publication from a court order and identify jurisdiction and applicability questions. No current injunction is asserted here.
- [Contract period](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/contract-period): Contract start and end dates and their connection to work guarantees, travel, and status questions.
- [Termination and resignation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/early-termination): Separation circumstances, related documentation, transportation, guarantee, and immigration questions.
- [Abandonment of employment](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/abandonment): Abandonment terminology, documentation, notice questions, and related worker-status concerns.
- [Separation notices and agency questions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/separation-notices): The distinction between labor-related reporting and immigration-related questions when employment changes.
- [Contract changes and unexpected events](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/contract-changes): Changing work circumstances, job terms, documentation, and questions for filing or legal professionals.
- [USCIS petition process](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/uscis-petition): Immigration petition terminology and the relationship to labor certification and visa-application preparation.
- [Form I-129](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/i129): The official petition form, preparation questions, and supporting reference instructions.
- [DS-160 visa application](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/ds-160): Visa application terminology, document preparation, and official application guidance.
- [Visa interview preparation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/visa-interview): Document and interview-preparation subjects alongside official consular resources.
- [Changes of employer and transfers](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/transfers): Successive employment, petition, contract, and status questions when considering a different employer.
- [Extensions of stay](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/extensions): Extension-related preparation, contract questions, petition resources, and visa-duration calculations.
- [Successive employment](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/successive-employment): Questions involving consecutive employers or contracts and their connection to petitions, transportation, and status.
- [Three-year limit and visa duration](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/visa-duration): Visa-duration terminology and the app's duration-calculation workflow; eligibility and status are not determined by this catalog.
- [Grace-period questions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/grace-period-questions): Immigration-status questions following employment changes and the need to consult the responsible authority.
- [Tax and withholding questions](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/tax-and-withholding): Tax terminology, payroll-related questions, and IRS reference starting points; this preview does not decide tax treatment.
- [I-94 admission records](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/i94): Admission-record terminology and the documents to organize for visa-duration and immigration questions.
- [H-4 dependents](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/h4-dependents): Dependent-visa and interview-preparation subjects, alongside official immigration and consular information.
- [Social Security and worker identification](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/social-security): Document and identification questions to organize alongside official tax and agency guidance.
- [NAICS and industry classification](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/naics): The distinction between an employer's industry classification and a worker's occupation code, as a research topic rather than an automatic code assignment.
- [Temporary-need documentation](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/temporary-need-documentation): Questions to organize about an operation, its labor need, timing, and consistency with job-order information.
- [Multiple-employer job arrangements](https://h2acompass.com/knowledge/multiple-employer-arrangements): Questions about employer identities, association arrangements, contractor responsibilities, and job-order consistency.

## Existing public resources

- [Resource library](https://h2acompass.com/resources): Forms, guides, and links.
- [Employer tools](https://h2acompass.com/employer-tools): Employer feature introductions.
- [Worker tools](https://h2acompass.com/worker-tools): Worker education and feature introductions.
- [Recruiter resources](https://h2acompass.com/recruiter-resources): Resources for recruiters and professionals.
- [State library](https://h2acompass.com/state-rules): Existing state guides; check official data for current applicability.
- [Glossary](https://h2acompass.com/glossary): Existing public definitions.

## Primary reference starting points

- [DOL H-2A program](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/programs/h-2a): Department of Labor; Program resources. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [WHD H-2A worker protections](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/agriculture/h2a): DOL Wage and Hour Division; Worker protections and enforcement resources. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [OFLC adverse effect wage rate data](https://flag.dol.gov/wage-data/adverse-effect-wage-rates): DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification; Official wage publications. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [H-2A labor certification regulations](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/chapter-V/part-655/subpart-B): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR Part 655, Subpart B. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [H-2A regulatory definitions](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.103): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.103. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Offered wage regulation](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.120): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.120. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Job order submission regulation](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.121): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.121. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Job offer contents regulation](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.122): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.122. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Employer assurances regulation](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.135): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.135. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Positive recruitment regulation](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.150): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.150. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [H-2A labor contractor filing provisions](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.132): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.132. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Labor certification issuance provisions](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-655.162): eCFR / Department of Labor; 20 CFR §655.162. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [H-2A enforcement regulations](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-501): eCFR / Department of Labor; 29 CFR Part 501. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Civil money penalty provisions](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-501.19): eCFR / Department of Labor; 29 CFR §501.19. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [USCIS H-2A temporary agricultural workers](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2a-temporary-agricultural-workers): U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Official H-2A immigration guidance. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Temporary worker immigration regulation](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-8/section-214.2): eCFR / Department of Homeland Security; 8 CFR §214.2. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Temporary labor camp standards](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.142): Occupational Safety and Health Administration; 29 CFR §1910.142. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Agricultural employment and the FLSA](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/agriculture): DOL Wage and Hour Division; Agricultural employment resources. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [IRS foreign agricultural worker tax resources](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-agricultural-workers): Internal Revenue Service; Foreign agricultural workers. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [OFLC forms](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/forms): Department of Labor; Official foreign labor certification forms. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Form I-129](https://www.uscis.gov/i-129): U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [DS-160 application guidance](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application.html): U.S. Department of State; Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [WHD complaint resources](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints): DOL Wage and Hour Division; How to file a complaint. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Federal Register rulemaking publications](https://www.federalregister.gov/): Office of the Federal Register; Federal Register. Reference location, not verified applicability.
- [Federal court information](https://www.uscourts.gov/): Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; U.S. Courts. Reference location, not verified applicability.

## Transparency

- [About](https://h2acompass.com/about): Platform role and mission.
- [Privacy](https://h2acompass.com/privacy): Privacy information.
- [Terms](https://h2acompass.com/terms): Terms of use.