PERM Labor Certification – DOL Publishes New PERM FAQs

The Department of Labor (DOL) issued new PERM FAQs on August 3, 2010. The issues addressed by DOL in this round of FAQs include expedite requests, how to document the use of an employee referral program, unsolicited documentation and what constitutes a “business day” for purposes of posting the Notice of Filing. Within the FAQs, DOL states the following:
* Expedite Requests – DOL clarifies that the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), as a matter of long-standing policy, will not accept requests to expedite PERM applications;
* Employee Referral Programs (ERP) – DOL states that an employer can document its use of an ERP with incentives by providing dated copies of its notices or memoranda advertising the program and specifying the incentives offered. The employer must document the existence of the ERP, and that its employees were aware of the vacancy of the specific position for which certification is being sought. This can be achieved through posting on the employer’s website. However, the physical Notice of Filing shall not be sufficient for this purpose;
* Unsolicited Documentation – DOL emphasizes that if unsolicited documentation is provided to the OFLC in support of a pending PERM application, then the application will automatically be placed in the audit queue;
* Business Day – As part of the required recruitment procedures to support a PERM application, a Notice of Filing must be physically posted for 10 consecutive business days. The OFLC clarifies that for purposes of the Notice of Filing, a business day will be defined as Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays.

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