This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh, Fredrikson Immigration Department Chair, is a member.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) posted an announcement on April 14, 2023, regarding recent permanent labor certification applications that were denied where the employer did not explicitly answer the question in field H.10-B of Form ETA-9089, Application for Permanent Employment Certification.
OFLC said it has “thoroughly reviewed” past and current permanent labor certification (PERM) applications with respect to how question H.10-B on the Form ETA-9089 has been completed. As a result of this review, OFLC concluded that some employers have not consistently answered the question accurately by providing acceptable alternate job titles. Rather, they include statements such as “see H.14 - Special Skills.” OFLC has recently denied such applications for being incomplete.
OFLC evaluated these denials and determined that while they are “appropriate,” it has stopped issuing denials for this issue for pending applications and “will not deny for this reason for any application submitted on or before May 30, 2023, by which point OFLC expects to be accepting the updated version of Form ETA-9089 in the Foreign Labor Application Gateway system. Further, OFLC will overturn denials based solely on this issue.”
OFLC recognizes that:
“as it transitions to the updated version of Form ETA-9089, which will incorporate Form ETA-9141 into PERM applications, there may be questions about whether employers should alter how they complete Form ETA-9141 as a result of this announcement. OFLC is considering that issue and will issue guidance in the near future if we determine that such guidance is necessary.”
