New Prevailing Wage Request Form and Other Updates from DOL

The new Form ETA-9141, Application for Prevailing Wage Determination is set to go live on May 3, 2021. DOL held a webinar on April 27, 2021, regarding the new changes to the form. A presentation slide may be downloaded here. Any saved drafts that haven’t been submitted will be deleted on May 3, 2021. Other updates include:

  1. Processing time for PERM and prevailing wage determination is not expected to improve due to increased workload and limited resources. We do see a slight improvement in Prevailing Wage Determination of 4 months instead of the posted 5 months. PERM processing is about 8 months without audit. Note however that posted processing times are just averages, and some applications may take longer.
  2. Certified PERM application (ETA-9089) may now be downloaded from the PERM portal. Previously, it is only available by email from DOL at the time of certification.
  3. Updated wages will become effective on July 1, 2021. As with every year, wages may go up or down. It may be a good idea to file an LCA in support of H-1B prior to July 1, 2021 to lock in the current wage if it is favorable.