73 Fed. Reg. 11954 (March 5, 2008)

Effective June 1, 2008, the Department of Labor (DOL) will centralize the processing of permanent labor certification applications at the DOL Atlanta National Processing Center (NPC) and the processing of temporary Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) at the Chicago NPC, according to a notice published in the Federal Register.

Beginning on that date, all PERM applications and LCAs filed by mail should be sent to the correct NPC. The DOL notice provides mailing addresses and also gives instructions for the filing of LCAs that support D-1, H-1C, H-2A, and H-2B petitions. Currently, however, most PERM applications and H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 LCAs must be filed electronically, and this notice does not change that fact.

Some practical effects of centralization of PERM processing at the Atlanta NPC:

  • Effective June 1, 2008, PERM posting notices must list the Atlanta address
  • All employers who file their PERM applications online on or after June 1, 2008, will receive case numbers with the prefix “A” and be automatically routed to the Atlanta NPC for processing.
  • Most PERM applications pending with the Chicago NPC on May 31, 2008 should have been transferred to the Atlanta NPC on June 1, 2008.
  • Effective June 1, 2008, employers who do not wish to file online at http://www.plc.doleta.gov must mail their PERM applications directly to the Atlanta NPC.

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