Latest update! Permanent Labor Certification Applications Still Clogged Since June 2008...

    The OFLC has been experiencing backlogs in PERM application
      processing and there is no report since the end of May 2008 that
      any PERM cases which were filed in June or thereafter have been
      adjudicated. The electronic filing and ajudication program of
      PERM one time led the agency to resolve the tremendously clogged
      permanent labor certification program very successfully by
      adjudicating the electronically filed new application as short
      as in two or three days in some cases. Now, it has turned into a
      history. Currently it takes more than six months for new
      applications. The cases in the audit tracks are even clogged
      since August 2007. The OFLC leaders remain "mute" on the causes
      of the present problem, but it is obvious that the current
      problem stemmed from its bold move of auditing all the cases of
      the nation's largest immigration law firm which led the agency
      in lawsuit tangle and its aftermath as well as the agency's
      decision to scrutinize sagging job markets before adjudicating
      any pending applications. The lawsuit settlement had released
      some cases in the audit track into the queue of non-audit
      regular PERM application track which are speculated to be not a
      small number and which had earlier priority dates. Since the
      agency is processing cases in the order of the priority date,
      obviously these cases must have affected later priority date
      cases. There is some clue that most of these cases may all be
      adjudicated in the very near future. Accordingly, we anticipate
      that the processing times of PERM cases may not take as long as
      what it takes now which is six months.

Lets hope that the PERM program returns to the normal process as soon as possible.