Labor Certification is the first step of the Green Card process. In the Green Card process, the sponsoring company is seeking to fill a full time position with a foreign national worker because of a shortage of qualified, available, willing and able U.S. workers.

The Application for Permanent Employment Certification is filed online with the United States Department of Labor [DOL]. The date of filing is the “priority date”. The current program for US companies to obtain labor certification is referred to as the PERM program, which requires that the company perform a rigorous recruitment effort prior to filing the Application for Permanent Employment Certification.
Once filed, the DOL will review the application to verify that the sponsoring company has met all of the recruitment requirements to obtain certification. It will also ensure, among other things, that the requirements of the position as stated on the application are not unduly restrictive. If satisfied, the DOL will certify the application.

*Anticipated period of time to complete this step: 3 to 6 months including recruitment