PERM, H-1B and Prevailing Wage Case Processing Statistics from the Department of Labor (FY2015 Q1)

The Department of Labor has provided some updates for the first quarter of the Fiscal Year 2015 (October 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014) on their processing of PERM, H-1B LCA and prevailing wage determination cases and we are happy to share them with our clients and readers.

DOL Processing Statistics (First Quarter, 2015 Fiscal Year)

PERM

According to the PERM case report, during the quarter, there were 23,133 new cases received (an increase of 7% from the prior quarter and a significant 31% increase compared to the same period of the previous year), 16,192 certified (slight increase over the previous quarters), 1,322 denied (increase, but in proportion of the rate of new filings) and 1,104 withdrawn (about the same as the prior quarter).

There are 64,810 applications pending as of December 31, 2014 which is about 8% increase in the pending case load.   Out of these cases, approximately 60% are in analyst review stage (no change to prior quarter), 30% under audit review (no change) and 8% on appeal (slight decrease.)

Prevailing Wage Determinations

The prevailing wage report provides some detailed breakdown of the rate of filings in addition to details about top employers, top occupations and top areas.   During the first quarter, there were approximately 38,000 prevailing wage determination requests filed — of those, 29,870 were for PERM cases (increase of 27% compared to prior year’s period), 1,476 were for H-1B cases (increase of 5%) and 6,334 were for H-2B cases (increase of 38%).     In terms of activity, 31,946 prevailing wage determinations were issued during the first quarter and the pending load has increased from 14,619 during the prior quarter to 18,282 in the first quarter of FY2015.

H-1B/LCA

The H-1B/LCA report also provides a breakdown in the rate of filings, in addition to some details about the top LCA filers and the top positions and geographic areas.    Since this quarter fell entirely outside of the H-1B cap filing season, the number of LCA filings is lower compared to other quarters during the year, and especially Q2 of 2014.  Even then, there were 80,520  H-1B LCA filings in the first quarter, noting a decrease of about 13% compared to the prior quarter.   During the quarter, there were 77,691 LCAs certified for 169,282 positions (one LCA can include more than 1 position).

According to DOL, 100% of the LCAs are processed timely within seven days of receipt.     The rate of LCA denial is fairly low (1,761 out of 89,367 determinations) and the main reasons remain (1) FEIN mismatch or failure to verify before LCA filing  or (2) prevailing wage tracking number issues.

Conclusion

The first quarter of the FY2015 shows a significant increase in the number of DOL filings in a number of categories.  Perhaps most notable is the increase in PERM filings – 31% increase over the prior year and 7% increase over the prior quarter.   Similarly, the PERM prevailing wage requests rose by 27% over the prior year period, signaling continued strong rate of upcoming PERM filings.   Thus, in turn, is likely to translate increase in the PERM case processing times.    We are hopeful that DOL would continue to work on decreasing its load and processing times, especially for the PERM cases (see the most recent PERM processing times report).

We will continue monitoring DOL processing metrics and report any notable developments and trends.      Please visit us again, contact us, or subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to ensure that you obtain this and related immigration-related news and announcements.