Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) Overview

PERM is the process for obtaining labor certification, which is the first step of the "green card" process for foreign nationals seeking permanent residence through their employment.
To obtain an approved PERM Labor Certification, the employer must prove (through newspaper advertising and other recruiting methods) that they were unsuccessful in recruiting a qualified U.S. worker for a certain position.

1. The employer must be prepared to hire the foreign worker on a full-time and permanent basis.
2. There must be a bona fide job opening available to U.S. workers.
3. Job requirements must adhere to what is customarily required for the occupation in the U.S. and may not be tailored to the worker's qualifications. In other words, the employer must establish that the job opportunity has been described without the use of unduly restrictive job requirements, unless it can demonstrate that they arise out of business necessity.
4. The employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the occupation in the area of intended employment.

The U.S. employer requests a permanent labor certification by completing an Application for Permanent Employment Certification ("ETA Form 9089"). This application describes the job duties, educational requirements, training, experience, and other special capabilities that the alien must possess to do the work, and a statement of the prospective alien's qualifications.

Prevailing Wage Requirements

Prior to filing ETA Form 9089, the U.S. employer must first request a prevailing wage determination from the State Workforce Agency ("SWA") that has jurisdiction over the proposed area of intended employment. The U.S. employer is then required to include the following prevailing wage information on the ETA Form 9089, including the job SOC/O*NET (OES) code; occupation title, and skill level. The labor certification is valid for 180 days.

The proposed wage for the alien must at least be equal to this prevailing wage.

Pre-Filing Recruitment Requirements

All U.S. employers filing the ETA Form 9089 (except for those applications involving college or university teachers selected pursuant to a competitive recruitment and selection process, Schedule A pre-certified occupations, and sheepherders) must attest, in addition to a number of other conditions of employment, to having conducted recruitment prior to filing the application.

1. Professional Occupations

The employer must recruit under the standards for professional occupations. The employer must maintain documentation of the recruitment and be prepared to submit this documentation in the event of an audit or in response to a request from the Certifying Officer prior to rendering a final determination.

Mandatory Recruitment Steps

The requirement of a job order and the requirement of two print advertisements are mandatory for all applications involving professional occupations, except applications for college or university teachers selected in a competitive selection and recruitment process.

The mandatory recruitment steps must be conducted at least 30 days, but no more than 180 days, before the filing of the application.

Job Orders

The U.S. employer must place a job order with the SWA serving the area of intended employment for a period of 30 days. The start and end dates of the job order entered on the application will serve as documentation of this step.

Advertisements in Newspaper or Professional Journals

The U.S. employer must place an advertisement on two different Sundays in the newspaper of general circulation in the area of intended employment most appropriate to the occupation and the workers likely to apply for the job opportunity and most likely to bring responses from able, willing, qualified, and available U.S. workers. If the job opportunity is located in a rural area of intended employment that does not have a newspaper with a Sunday edition, the employer may use the edition with the widest circulation in the area of intended employment.

If the job involved in the application requires experience and an advanced degree, and a professional journal normally would be used to advertise the job opportunity, the employer may, in lieu of one of the Sunday advertisements, place an advertisement in the professional journal most likely to bring responses from able, willing, qualified, and available U.S. workers. Documentation of this step can be satisfied by providing a copy of the page in which the advertisement appeared.

Additional Recruitment Steps

The employer must also select three additional recruitment steps from the alternatives listed below:

• Job fairs. Recruitment at job fairs for the occupation involved in the application, which can be documented by brochures advertising the fair and newspaper advertisements in which the employer is named as a participant in the job fair.
• Employer's website. The use of the employer's website as a recruitment medium can be documented by providing dated copies of pages from the site that advertise the occupation involved in the application.
• Job search website other than the employer's. The use of a job search website other than the employer's can be documented by providing dated copies of pages from one or more website(s) that advertise the occupation involved in the application. Copies of web pages generated in conjunction with the newspaper advertisements mentioned above can serve as documentation of the use of a website other than the employer's.
• On-campus recruiting. The employer's on-campus recruiting can be documented by providing copies of the notification issued or posted by the college's or university's placement office naming the employer and the date it conducted interviews for employment in the occupation.
• Trade or professional organizations. The use of professional or trade organizations as a recruitment source can be documented by providing copies of pages of newsletters or trade journals containing advertisements for the occupation involved in the application for alien employment certification.
• Private employment firms. The use of private employment firms or placement agencies can be documented by providing documentation sufficient to demonstrate that recruitment has been conducted by a private firm for the occupation for which certification is sought. For example, documentation might consist of copies of contracts between the employer and the private employment firm and copies of advertisements placed by the private employment firm for the occupation involved in the application.
• Employee referral program with incentives. The use of an employee referral program with incentives can be documented by providing dated copies of employer notices or memoranda advertising the program and specifying the incentives offered.
• Campus placement offices. The use of a campus placement office can be documented by providing a copy of the employer's notice of the job opportunity provided to the campus placement office.
• Local and ethnic newspapers. The use of local and ethnic newspapers can be documented by providing a copy of the page in the newspaper that contains the employer's advertisement.
• Radio and television advertisements. The use of radio and television advertisements can be documented by providing a copy of the employer's text of the employer's advertisement along with a written confirmation from the radio or television station stating when the advertisement was aired.

Only one of these additional steps may consist solely of activity that took place within 30 days of the filing of the application. None of the steps may have taken place more than 180 days prior to filing the application.

2. Nonprofessional Occupations

If the application is for a nonprofessional occupation, the employer must at a minimum, place a job order and two newspaper advertisements within six months of filing the application. The steps must be conducted at least 30 days but no more that 180 days before the filing of the application.

Job Order

The U.S. employer must place a job order with the SWA serving the area of intended employment for a period of 30 days. The start and end dates of the job order entered on the application serve as documentation of this step.

Newspaper Advertisements

The U.S. employer must place an advertisement on two different Sundays in the newspaper of general circulation in the area of intended employment most appropriate to the occupation and the workers likely to apply for the job opportunity. If the job opportunity is located in a rural area of intended employment that does not have a newspaper that publishes a Sunday edition, the employer may use the newspaper edition with the widest circulation in the area of intended employment. Documentation of this step can be satisfied by furnishing copies of the newspaper pages in which the advertisements appeared or proof of publication furnished by the newspaper. The advertisements must satisfy the requirements contained in the regulations, which are described below.

Although the occupation involved in a labor certification application may be a nonprofessional occupation, the regulations do not prohibit employers from conducting more recruitment than is specified for such occupations.

3. Advertising Requirements

Advertisements placed in newspapers of general circulation or in professional journals before filing the Application for Permanent Employment Certification must:

• Name the employer;
• Direct applicants to report or send resumes, as appropriate for the occupation, to the employer;
• Provide a description of the vacancy specific enough to apprise the U.S. workers of the job opportunity for which certification is sought;
• Indicate the geographic area of employment with enough specificity to apprise applicants of any travel requirements and where applicants will likely have to reside to perform the job opportunity;
• Not contain a wage rate lower than the prevailing wage rate;
• Not contain any job requirements or duties which exceed the job requirements or duties listed on the ETA Form 9089;
• Not contain wages or terms and conditions of employment that are less favorable than those offered to the alien.

4. Recruitment Report

The U.S. employer must prepare a recruitment report signed by the employer or the employer's representative describing the recruitment steps undertaken and the results achieved, the number of hires, and, if applicable, the number of U.S. workers rejected, categorized by the lawful job related reasons for such rejections. The Certifying Officer, after reviewing the employer's recruitment report, may request the U.S. workers' resumes or applications, sorted by the reasons the workers were rejected.

A U.S. worker is able and qualified for the job opportunity if the worker can acquire the skills necessary to perform the duties involved in the occupation during a reasonable period of on-the-job training. Rejecting U.S. workers for lacking skills necessary to perform the duties involved in the occupation, where the U.S. workers are capable of acquiring the skills during a reasonable period of on-the-job training is not a lawful job-related reason for rejection of the U.S. workers.

The employer must categorize the lawful job-related reasons for rejection of U.S. applicants and provide the number of U.S. applicants rejected in each category. The recruitment report does not have to identify the individual U.S. workers who applied for the job opportunity.

5. Job Duties, Restrictive Requirements, and Business Necessity

General Rule for Job Duties

The job opportunity's requirements, unless adequately documented as arising from business necessity, must be those normally required for the occupation and must not exceed the Specific Vocational Preparation ("SVP") level assigned to the occupation as shown in the O*NET Job Zones. To establish a business necessity, an employer must demonstrate the job duties and requirements bear a reasonable relationship to the occupation in the context of the employer's business and are essential to perform the job in a reasonable manner.

Foreign Language Requirements

A foreign language requirement can not be included, unless it is justified by business necessity which is demonstrated by specific means.

Alternative Requirements

Alternative experience requirements must be substantially equivalent to the primary requirements of the job opportunity for which certification is sought and if the alien beneficiary already is employed by the employer, and the alien does not meet the primary job requirements and only potentially qualifies for the job by virtue of the employer's alternative requirements, certification will be denied unless the application states that any suitable combination of education, training, or experience is acceptable.

6. Actual Minimum Requirements

DOL will evaluate the employer's actual minimum requirements in accordance with the following rules:

• The job requirements, as described, must represent the employer's actual minimum requirements for the job opportunity.
• The employer must not have hired workers with less training or experience for jobs substantially comparable to that involved in the job opportunity.
• If the alien beneficiary already is employed by the employer, in considering whether the job requirements represent the employer's actual minimums, DOL will review the training and experience possessed by the alien beneficiary at the time of hiring by the employer, including as a contract employee. The employer can not require domestic worker applicants to possess training and/or experience beyond what the alien possessed at the time of hire unless:
• The alien gained the experience while working for the employer, including as a contract employee, in a position not substantially comparable to the position for which certification is being sought, or
• The employer can demonstrate that it is no longer feasible to train a worker to qualify for the position.

In evaluating whether the alien beneficiary satisfies the employer's actual minimum requirements, DOL will not consider any education or training obtained by the alien beneficiary at the employer's expense unless the employer offers similar training to domestic worker applicants.

7. Conditions of Employment

Working conditions must be normal to the occupation in the area and industry.

Live-in requirements are acceptable for household domestic service workers only if the employer can demonstrate the requirement is essential to perform, in a reasonable manner the job duties as described by the employer and there are no cost-effective alternatives to a live-in household requirement.

8. Layoffs

If there has been a layoff by the employer applicant in the area of intended employment within 6 months of filing an application involving the occupation for which certification is sought or in a related occupation, the employer must document it has notified and considered all potentially qualified laid off (employer applicant) U.S. workers of the job opportunity involved in the application and the results of the notification and consideration.

A layoff shall be considered any involuntary separation of one or more employees without cause or prejudice.

9. Alien Influence and Control over Job Opportunity

If the employer is a closely held corporation or partnership in which the alien has an ownership interest, or if there is a familial relationship between the stockholders, corporate officers, incorporators, or partners, and the alien, or if the alien is one of a small number of employees, the employer in the event of an audit must be able to demonstrate the existence of a bona fide job opportunity, (i.e. the job is available to all U.S. workers), and must provide to the Certifying Officer specific supporting documentation: