DOL Expecting to Issue LC Conversion Regulation Shortly
Posted Jun 29, 2001

As we have discussed in previous issues of the MurthyBulletin, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has long been promising a regulation that will enable "regular" Labor Certification Applications (LCs) to be converted to the more streamlined Reduction in Recruitment (RIR) process. We have indicated various estimates from time to time as to when this conversion regulation will be published. We now have an update from senior officials at DOL.

At the AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law in June 2001 in Boston, Dale Zeigler, Chief, Foreign Labor Certification Unit, and Harry L. Sheinfeld, Litigation Counsel, Employment and Training Legal Services Division, Office of the Solicitor, confirmed that the regulation was now in its final clearance process and should be issued officially in about two to four weeks. They therefore suggested that companies having filed regular labor certifications may wish to run advertisements now in anticipation of the ablity to convert those cases to RIR.

Obviously, the detailed requirements and procedures will not be known until the regulation is released. We will certainly post an update at www.murthy.com when that happens. Anyone who believes s/he would like to take advantage of this opportunity should contact her or his immigration law attorney, who would be in a position to assist with the conversion, while retaining the original priority date, as allowed under law.