Department of Labor Upgrades to PERM System Postponed

We have mentioned previously in some of our articles the planned replacement of the current PERM and LCA filing systems.  Although the replacement of these two systems does not necessarily affect employees and employers as much as it affects immigration attorneys (as immigration attorneys prepare these filings most often), it is helpful to monitor the developments in these IT systems as they may indicate trends in PERM and LCA processing times and procedures.

Initially, the Department of Labor was scheduled to release new IT systems to handle PERM (part of some employment-based green card application processes) and LCA (part of the H-1B work visa application process) filings with new and enhances systems.  Last Friday, March 20, 2009, DOL announced that the launch of the new PERM filing system will be delayed from July 1, 2009 to September 2009 due to technical issues.

At the same time, DOL has confirmed that the LCA filing system will be launched on April 15, 2009, with concurrent use of the old and new systems between April 15, 2009 and May 15, 2009.  After May 15, 2009, it is anticipated that only the new LCA filing systems will be available for preparing and filing LCAs.