Reducing Costs Associated With Permanent Labor Certification

The cost of permanent labor certification ads can be considerable and has to be paid by the employer. This is generally to discourage the use of foreign applicants when domestic applicants would be equally suitable. Nevertheless, there are also some ways that an employer can potentially reduce the costs associated with the process. The Government and Petition Fees The USCIS charges a filing fee of $580. This is a flat fee and can change from year to year, so a business should factor in this cost first.

But this cost is actually a fraction of the legal and advertising fees that are usually associated with the process of labor certification. The total cost of a labor certification is usually between $4,000 to $5,000. The Legal and Attorney Fees Going through an attorney that specializes in labor certification will generally reduce these costs. Many businesses go through the attorneys that they have on retainer or do not shop around for their quotes, which can increase the amount that they need to spend. There are specialist firms available that have streamlined the process of perm labor certification and are thus able to provide their services at a lower cost.

The Advertising and Associated Fees In order to procure a labor certification, businesses need to advertise for their position on a local and domestic level. These advertising fees generally range from $1,000 to $1,500. But these fees can be reduced in a variety of ways. Permanent labor certification ads can be done through boutique firms -- like legal firms, these firms are able to provide services at a lower cost. Businesses can also seek to manage their advertising on their own and reduce their costs in this way, though a mistake during the advertising process can potentially lengthen the process of certification. Very few of the costs associated with permanent labor certification are set in stone. The government itself does not maintain a filing fee; the only fee that generally can't be negotiated is the USCIS fee. Because of this, there is some room for a company to negotiate and reduce their costs.

Factors Influencing the Length of the Permanent Labor Certification Process

In general, permanent labor certification can take a few months of time. During the process of permanent labor certification, a business needs to apply for a filing fee, run permanent labor certification ads, and interview potential domestic hires. Here are a few of the major factors that influence the length of permanent labor certification. State Processing Times States have different processing times. Some states have very frequent labor certification requests -- others don't.

Areas that need to process larger volumes of requests, such as major cities, will often have a longer processing queue. Likewise, smaller cities and counties may not have a significant wait. Seasonal Processing Queues Processing times can also vary by season. There are certain priority dates and dates that are more likely to have a faster queue. Earlier in the year often has a faster processing time, while processing during the holidays can lead to some delays. When employers are doing their most hiring, the process of permanent labor certification will usually be the longest -- this is because there are more forms and applications being processed at the same time.

Advertising and Legal Issues There are certain advertising and legal requirements that have to be fulfilled for the labor certification process to go through. The failure to meet any of these requirements -- such as by filling out the wrong forms, filing the wrong forms, or potentially placing ads incorrectly -- could easily delay the process of permanent labor certification or lead to it being denied entirely. It's for this reason that many businesses hire labor attorneys.

Reconsideration Requests Finally, labor certification can be denied for a variety of reasons. If this happens, a reconsideration request needs to be filed. Understandably, this can also substantially delay the process of acquiring certification. The permanent labor certification ads process usually can't be sped up; all a business can do is fulfill the requirements and wait for the application to pass through the queue. Though the process may be lengthy, it usually does not take longer than a few months.