Probably, by now people are sick to hear the term "PERM." There have been few "promised lands" which have not been kept and frustrated people as bad as this one. Ever since the DOL released the so-called "Five-Year Strategic Plan" in 1999 announcing the backlog reduction strategies which included the backlog reduction for existing cases and start of the PERM program for the new cases, it has surfed unknown territorial water over and over with no end in sight. After a struggle, DOL was successful in releasing the "proposed" regulation. Reportedly, the proposed regulation produced mountains of comments of pros and cons, giving the DOL an excuse for the further delays. Along the way, there was a change of leadership in the Foreign Labor Certification Division in the DOL leading to another delays. For heaven sake, despite the hurdles after hurdles, the DOL was able to work out the final regulation under the new leadership and forwarded it to the OMB in the White House in February 2004. When the 90-day review ended on May 21, 2004, the DOL reportedly requested the OMB to extend the OMB review because of the comments from its sister and brother agencies of Homeland Security Department, State Department, Department of Justice, etc. In the June AILA National Conference in Philadelphia, the Chief of the Foreign Labor Certification of DOL who was in charge of the PERM disclosed that the final regulation had to be revised because of the "room for fraud" concerns addressed by its sisters and brothers. The question remains where these brothers and sisters were when the proposed regulation was released!
Now this regulation is being held hostage in the White House. The American economy is continuously struggling despite the rosey picture some so-called "financial analysts" and political pundits attempt to draw through the cable TVs, Internets, and printed newspapers. Unemployment rate continues to remain high without much changes. Outsourcing has already given a trouble to the Bush Administration in the 2004 election politics. Now, we start hearing a rumor that the concept of "21-day" approval of foreign labor certification rather than taking years and years is the last "word" which the White House wants to hear under the current election environment. Anti immigration forces have also been working hard to picture the PERM program as "opening a flood gate for the foreign cheap laborers." The truth of this rumor is still unverificable. One thing we can only tell is that the regulation is going nowhere in the OMB, White House. The 90-day extension will reach on August 20. God knows what will happen then. No wonder why people hate politics and the term "politician" is not a noble term, unlike "statesman." Come November, whoever wins, we want to see a life which is not "totally" washed out by politics.
Now this regulation is being held hostage in the White House. The American economy is continuously struggling despite the rosey picture some so-called "financial analysts" and political pundits attempt to draw through the cable TVs, Internets, and printed newspapers. Unemployment rate continues to remain high without much changes. Outsourcing has already given a trouble to the Bush Administration in the 2004 election politics. Now, we start hearing a rumor that the concept of "21-day" approval of foreign labor certification rather than taking years and years is the last "word" which the White House wants to hear under the current election environment. Anti immigration forces have also been working hard to picture the PERM program as "opening a flood gate for the foreign cheap laborers." The truth of this rumor is still unverificable. One thing we can only tell is that the regulation is going nowhere in the OMB, White House. The 90-day extension will reach on August 20. God knows what will happen then. No wonder why people hate politics and the term "politician" is not a noble term, unlike "statesman." Come November, whoever wins, we want to see a life which is not "totally" washed out by politics.