H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently overturned the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Marketing Manager.”

Upon evaluating an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO ordered the Employer to present copies of its recruitment efforts. The Employer provided a copy of its notice of filing, job order with the Washington State Workforce Agency (SWA), as well as newspaper ads placed in the Seattle Times. In addition, they submitted a copy of the company’s recruitment report.

After reviewing the recruitment data, the CO denied Certification because he believed it violated PERM regulation 20 CFR 656.17(f)(6), which provides that additional language not found on the ETA Form 9089 exceeds the job requirements for the position. The CO stated the Employer’s Notice of Filing (NOF), SWA job order, newspaper advertisements and web advertisements all listed “may require employer-reimbursed travel.” The phrase was not listed on the Employer’s 9089 form.

The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently overturned the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Instructional Coordinator.”

After reviewing an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO denied the application, without audit or a request for additional information, stating that the position did not qualify as a college or university teacher. The CO considered the Instructional Coordinator position as a professional occupation for which the Employer was required to conduct additional mandatory recruitment efforts.

The Employer sent a reconsideration request to the CO. In its argument, the Employer reaffirmed that the position was a university instructor. They submitted additional documentation to support their claim. They provided a detailed description of the position covering the job duties and experience qualifications. This description mentioned “effective teaching in the library instruction program.” The second piece of evidence included a memorandum from the Dean of the University Libraries. In his memorandum, the Dean summarized the Applicant’s position as a Faculty Member in the Division of Library Services, discussed the Applicant’s responsibilities as an Assistant Professor and referred to the Applicant as “an excellent classroom teacher providing effective, creative and critical learning experiences for our students.”