12-17-04 Status Calls to the Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center: The Department of Labor's Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center requests that AILA members refrain from contacting the Center for general status updates. They have been receiving so many inquiries that they are unable to sort through those status calls, much less return them while keeping up with the processing of cases. It has also become difficult for the Center to address emergency cases in the huge numbers of calls that they have been receiving. The Center emphasizes that emergency cases, such as 7th year cases, should continue to be brought to their attention by call or letter. In the near future, the Center will be shutting down its regional status lines.
The Center advises that, within the next 30 days, filing attorneys and employers will begin receiving a 45 day "continuation and corrections" letter asking whether they want to continue with a specified labor certification application. In order to avoid the case being closed out as abandoned, the attorney and/or employer must reply within the 45 day period to confirm intent to continue with the case. Original 45 day letters will be sent to attorneys of record and copies will go to petitioning employers. The forms 750A&B will be sent with the 45 day letter if obvious corrections are needed, e.g., addresses that don't match on the forms 750A & B. Note that these corrections requests are not Notices of Findings. The Center has approximately 35,000 applications to be sent out, and the 45-day letters will be issued in batches over the next month. As applications are returned to the Center, they will be processed in a first in, first out schedule. Processing times will continue to be posted on their website.
