yours_sincerely
Registered Users (C)
Priority date
Sincere apologies to Tomshu.
Sincere apologies to Tomshu.
Philadelphia Regional DOL Tracker
- Thread starter usnycus
- Start date
Can you please update us on what is happening the cases at DOL Chicago. Is Dallas Backlog Elimination Center is taking these cases. I know this is not the forum for those cases, but I see no update there. It will be great if you publish any information you know.
tomshu said:
Backlog Reduction Update
DOL Transition Watch : Backlog Reduction Update
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) indicated in early November 2004 that the Backlog Elimination Centers (BECs), also sometimes referred to as Backlog Reduction Centers, have been experiencing a software problem that prevented them from sending Center Receipt Notification Letters. These letters should be issued sometime in late November or early December 2004. Our October 29, 2004 MURTHYBULLETIN article, "DOL Transition Watch: DOL Provides More Insight" <http://www.murthy.com/news/n_doltra.html>, available on MurthyDotCom, will prove helpful to those who are unfamiliar with the DOL restructuring.
The BECs may receive some cases from the Atlanta and Chicago national processing centers. The DOL is still in the process of assessing which State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) have the oldest cases to send to the BECs. We at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C., continue to track developments on the DOL transition and will regularly update MurthyDotCom and MURTHYBULLETIN readers on these important changes.
2004 The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C. All Rights Reserved
DOL Transition Watch : Backlog Reduction Update
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) indicated in early November 2004 that the Backlog Elimination Centers (BECs), also sometimes referred to as Backlog Reduction Centers, have been experiencing a software problem that prevented them from sending Center Receipt Notification Letters. These letters should be issued sometime in late November or early December 2004. Our October 29, 2004 MURTHYBULLETIN article, "DOL Transition Watch: DOL Provides More Insight" <http://www.murthy.com/news/n_doltra.html>, available on MurthyDotCom, will prove helpful to those who are unfamiliar with the DOL restructuring.
The BECs may receive some cases from the Atlanta and Chicago national processing centers. The DOL is still in the process of assessing which State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) have the oldest cases to send to the BECs. We at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C., continue to track developments on the DOL transition and will regularly update MurthyDotCom and MURTHYBULLETIN readers on these important changes.
2004 The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C. All Rights Reserved
Please help
Labour Filed in RIR in California 08/2001
Transferred to Federal 08/2002
Remanded To State on 06/2003
Sitting in Regular queue since then
Questions:
a). When my case goes back to federal from SWA will i retain my old RD
OR i will get a new RD?
b). Now with the new regulations that the cases will get processed
based on RD, if i get a new RD then dont i have to wait much longer
because i will get a later date?
c). I beleive i will retain my PD. Is that correct?
Thanks
Labour Filed in RIR in California 08/2001
Transferred to Federal 08/2002
Remanded To State on 06/2003
Sitting in Regular queue since then
Questions:
a). When my case goes back to federal from SWA will i retain my old RD
OR i will get a new RD?
b). Now with the new regulations that the cases will get processed
based on RD, if i get a new RD then dont i have to wait much longer
because i will get a later date?
c). I beleive i will retain my PD. Is that correct?
Thanks
Last edited by a moderator:
DOL Philadelphia and Dallas Backlog Processing Center Update
* The DOL published a notice this morning that the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is issuing this notice to
announce that DOL has moved its Foreign Labor Certification field staff in the Dallas and Philadelphia Regional Offices to the new Dallas and Philadelphia Backlog Processing Centers. This notice provides the public in the Dallas and Philadelphia regions with contact information regarding these two new processing centers. All foreign labor certification processing activities previously conducted in the Dallas or Philadelphia Regional Offices will now be assumed by the corresponding Dallas or Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center. The Backlog Processing Centers shall continue these functions on an interim basis and ETA shall publish a Federal Register notice in the near future providing guidance as to the handling of backlogged cases with the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). Employers should continue, until ETA publishes future guidance on
this issue, to file applications for H-2B and H-2A, as well as applications for permanent labor certification with the appropriate SWA, which will, in turn, forward materials to the appropriate Backlog Processing Center.
* The following new addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers should be used by employers and by State Workforce Agencies for either inquiries or for the forwarding of application materials, as appropriate. Please note: For all application materials, inquiries, and other correspondence sent to either the Dallas or Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center, envelopes should be clearly marked according to the appropriate program type, i.e., Permanent, H2-A or H2-B.
1- Dallas Backlog Processing Center Address: ETA/DFLC Backlog Processing Center, U.S. Department of Labor, 700 North Pearl Street, Suite 400 N, Dallas, TX 75201, Phone: 214-237-9111, Fax: 214-237-9135.
2- Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center Address: ETA/DFLC Backlog Processing Center, U.S. Department of Labor, 1 Belmont Avenue, Suite 200, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, Phone: 484-270-1500, Fax: 484-270-1600.
Source: immigration-law.com
* The DOL published a notice this morning that the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is issuing this notice to
announce that DOL has moved its Foreign Labor Certification field staff in the Dallas and Philadelphia Regional Offices to the new Dallas and Philadelphia Backlog Processing Centers. This notice provides the public in the Dallas and Philadelphia regions with contact information regarding these two new processing centers. All foreign labor certification processing activities previously conducted in the Dallas or Philadelphia Regional Offices will now be assumed by the corresponding Dallas or Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center. The Backlog Processing Centers shall continue these functions on an interim basis and ETA shall publish a Federal Register notice in the near future providing guidance as to the handling of backlogged cases with the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). Employers should continue, until ETA publishes future guidance on
this issue, to file applications for H-2B and H-2A, as well as applications for permanent labor certification with the appropriate SWA, which will, in turn, forward materials to the appropriate Backlog Processing Center.
* The following new addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers should be used by employers and by State Workforce Agencies for either inquiries or for the forwarding of application materials, as appropriate. Please note: For all application materials, inquiries, and other correspondence sent to either the Dallas or Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center, envelopes should be clearly marked according to the appropriate program type, i.e., Permanent, H2-A or H2-B.
1- Dallas Backlog Processing Center Address: ETA/DFLC Backlog Processing Center, U.S. Department of Labor, 700 North Pearl Street, Suite 400 N, Dallas, TX 75201, Phone: 214-237-9111, Fax: 214-237-9135.
2- Philadelphia Backlog Processing Center Address: ETA/DFLC Backlog Processing Center, U.S. Department of Labor, 1 Belmont Avenue, Suite 200, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, Phone: 484-270-1500, Fax: 484-270-1600.
Source: immigration-law.com
neenasingh
Registered Users (C)
Friend's details
Hi,
Could you please tell me From which state did your friend applied.
Thanks
virtual55 said:
Hi,
Could you please tell me From which state did your friend applied.
Thanks
neenasingh
Registered Users (C)
Check Status
Hi,
Q1 .Are these nos above have automated case status. Can an individual call Philadelphia no to know the status.
Q2. As mentioned in this thread , I have tried 215-861-5286 phone no but no one replies on this. I also tried sending email at LCSTATUS03@doleta.gov but it bounce back with error. Can someone help me knowing the status of my application. I filed on April 2002 and it was received in DOL on 12/12/2003.
Thanks
orissa said:
Hi,
Q1 .Are these nos above have automated case status. Can an individual call Philadelphia no to know the status.
Q2. As mentioned in this thread , I have tried 215-861-5286 phone no but no one replies on this. I also tried sending email at LCSTATUS03@doleta.gov but it bounce back with error. Can someone help me knowing the status of my application. I filed on April 2002 and it was received in DOL on 12/12/2003.
Thanks
neenasingh:
The above numbers are not fully aumated, I just called and checked the system only prompting to left message. Regarding the phone number 215-861-5286, I will say do not try that number because it is not working since last 6 months or so.
Why that number is not working and what's going on there in DOL?
Even the Immigration pundits has no clue about that. We all here simply waiting to see some good results will come hopefully next month.
Please stay tune to this forum, time to time our good friend Tomshu posted good valuable information here.
The above numbers are not fully aumated, I just called and checked the system only prompting to left message. Regarding the phone number 215-861-5286, I will say do not try that number because it is not working since last 6 months or so.
Why that number is not working and what's going on there in DOL?
Even the Immigration pundits has no clue about that. We all here simply waiting to see some good results will come hopefully next month.
Please stay tune to this forum, time to time our good friend Tomshu posted good valuable information here.
Good Job Tomshu...
Good Job Tomshu,
I really appreciate all your effect/help. Please keep us all posted as and when you attain updated information.
Thanks
AwardMyGC
Good Job Tomshu,
I really appreciate all your effect/help. Please keep us all posted as and when you attain updated information.
Thanks
AwardMyGC
tomshu said:Since most of the people from this thread would like to receive BEC updates, I'll keep posting anything I received from them.
Updates:
1/. The Homeland Department was not happy with the security system of the previous computer system the BEC had, BEC is updating a new computer system with more security measures required the Homeland Department. Therefore the date for sending out those letters was delayed. Hopefully letters can be sent out before Christemas as a Christemas gift for us.
2/. Phil and SF regional DOL cases will be likely processed together since currently the Phil BEC only has these two regions' cases available.
3/. Cases will be likely processed according to the priority dates known as FIFO.
4/. RIR and none-RIR will be processed seperately.
5/. Cases from SWA have not been considered.
--Tomshu
What on earth is a "Priority Date" anyway?
Source: www.usvisanews.com
What on earth is a "Priority Date" anyway?
The "Priority Date" of a visa case is the day it is officially placed in
queue (or, as we Americans say "in line") for the permanent residency
process. Priority dates are given to persons immigrating through relatives
who are permanent residents or through employment with a U.S. company. In
PT and RN cases, the date is set when the I-140 Petition is filed with the
INS. In all labor certification cases, it is set when the labor cert is
filed with the state job service. ("Immediate Relatives" are not subject
to an annual numerical cap, so they don't get priority dates. That means
that if 10,000,000 U.S. citizens marry foreigners, all of them can
immediately immigrate.) Since employment based categories are "preference"
visas, they have an annual numerical allotments per country. In countries
with very little immigration (such as Iceland, for example), numbers are
usually available. In countries with high rates of immigration to the
U.S.- such as India- the number of people applying annually exceed the
amount of available visas...so a backlog develops. The higher the number
of applicants, the longer the backlog.
How Do Priority Dates Work?
Many variables come into play in the progression of a priority date: a
family of five will take up 5 visa slots, while a single person will take
only one. That means that if 10,000 visas are available for, as an
example, India, and the first 2000 principal aliens (the employee) each
have four family member (plus themselves), those two thousand petitions
will use up the whole 10,000! On the other hand, if everyone had been
single, 10,000 principal aliens would have gotten in and there would be no
backlog. In addition, people drop out of the wait, some have spouses get
their green card...in short, a million variables. In October, when the new
fiscal year begins, more numbers become available. Sometimes, the State
Department goes back and learns that the projected usage of visas has
varied substantially in the past few months, and then they make
adjustments causing dramatic retrogressions.
What Do We Mean When We Say The Priority Dates Will Retrogress?
For the last few years, employment-based applicants have been very lucky.
If you visit the Visa Bulletin published by the Department of State to
track priority dates, you will notice that there is "C" next to all
categories. The "C" stands for current, meaning that there is no wait
to file for permanent residence. If you look at the family-based
petitions, you will see a very different story.
For example, if you look at the 4th preference category from India,
brothers and sisters of United States citizens, you will see a date of
February 15, 1992. That means that right now they are accepting I-485
applications and consular process applications from Indian brothers and
sisters for whom an I-130 was filed on February 15, 1992.
What this means is that as of January of 2005, you will also see that
dates for some employment-based categories, particularly the EB-3 category
for India, the Philippines and China will go backwards. How far back? We
do not know.
Here is an example to illustrate how this might work: let's say that you
are an Engineer from India. Let's say that your labor certification was
filed on January 1st of 2001. Your labor certification has now been
approved and you are ready to file your I-140 and I-485. If the
priority date has gone backwards beyond January 1st of 2001, it means that
there aren't any visa numbers available for you. You can file the I-140
but you cannot file your I-485 until the priority dates move forward to
January 1st of 2001 or beyond.
Who Should Be Concerned?
If you were born in mainland China, India or the Philippines and you are
an employment-based applicant, you should be concerned. Note that the
key is where you were born. For example, you were born in the Philippines
but you are now a Canadian citizen the priority date that applies to you
is the priority date for the Philippines NOT Canada.
What Can You Do?
If you were born in any of the countries mentioned above and you are
eligible to file your I-485 but have not done so, you should endeavor to
file it before the end of this year. Remember, you are eligible to file
your I-485 if your labor certification has been approved.
If you are Physical Therapist or a Registered Nurse and you are in the
United States either with a non-immigrant visa, you should apply for your
I-140/I-485 before the end of the year if it is at all possible. For
example, you are a PT presently in the U.S. in OPT status, you should
apply for your I-140/I-485. Another common example would be a PT who
does not have the Visa Screen and who will not be able to renew the H-1B
when it expires in a few months. If that is you, you should apply for
your permanent residence before the end of the year.
Where Can I Look At The Priority Dates?
The State Department publishes a monthly Visa Bulletin to keep us apprised
about the priority dates. You may find it on the following web page:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_bulletincurrent.html
Remember, the employment-based categories are current for the time being.
You will probably not see a change until January. Once more, please
remember that this will probably only affect professionals from India, the
Philippines and mainland China.
Choclito said:
Source: www.usvisanews.com
What on earth is a "Priority Date" anyway?
The "Priority Date" of a visa case is the day it is officially placed in
queue (or, as we Americans say "in line") for the permanent residency
process. Priority dates are given to persons immigrating through relatives
who are permanent residents or through employment with a U.S. company. In
PT and RN cases, the date is set when the I-140 Petition is filed with the
INS. In all labor certification cases, it is set when the labor cert is
filed with the state job service. ("Immediate Relatives" are not subject
to an annual numerical cap, so they don't get priority dates. That means
that if 10,000,000 U.S. citizens marry foreigners, all of them can
immediately immigrate.) Since employment based categories are "preference"
visas, they have an annual numerical allotments per country. In countries
with very little immigration (such as Iceland, for example), numbers are
usually available. In countries with high rates of immigration to the
U.S.- such as India- the number of people applying annually exceed the
amount of available visas...so a backlog develops. The higher the number
of applicants, the longer the backlog.
How Do Priority Dates Work?
Many variables come into play in the progression of a priority date: a
family of five will take up 5 visa slots, while a single person will take
only one. That means that if 10,000 visas are available for, as an
example, India, and the first 2000 principal aliens (the employee) each
have four family member (plus themselves), those two thousand petitions
will use up the whole 10,000! On the other hand, if everyone had been
single, 10,000 principal aliens would have gotten in and there would be no
backlog. In addition, people drop out of the wait, some have spouses get
their green card...in short, a million variables. In October, when the new
fiscal year begins, more numbers become available. Sometimes, the State
Department goes back and learns that the projected usage of visas has
varied substantially in the past few months, and then they make
adjustments causing dramatic retrogressions.
What Do We Mean When We Say The Priority Dates Will Retrogress?
For the last few years, employment-based applicants have been very lucky.
If you visit the Visa Bulletin published by the Department of State to
track priority dates, you will notice that there is "C" next to all
categories. The "C" stands for current, meaning that there is no wait
to file for permanent residence. If you look at the family-based
petitions, you will see a very different story.
For example, if you look at the 4th preference category from India,
brothers and sisters of United States citizens, you will see a date of
February 15, 1992. That means that right now they are accepting I-485
applications and consular process applications from Indian brothers and
sisters for whom an I-130 was filed on February 15, 1992.
What this means is that as of January of 2005, you will also see that
dates for some employment-based categories, particularly the EB-3 category
for India, the Philippines and China will go backwards. How far back? We
do not know.
Here is an example to illustrate how this might work: let's say that you
are an Engineer from India. Let's say that your labor certification was
filed on January 1st of 2001. Your labor certification has now been
approved and you are ready to file your I-140 and I-485. If the
priority date has gone backwards beyond January 1st of 2001, it means that
there aren't any visa numbers available for you. You can file the I-140
but you cannot file your I-485 until the priority dates move forward to
January 1st of 2001 or beyond.
Who Should Be Concerned?
If you were born in mainland China, India or the Philippines and you are
an employment-based applicant, you should be concerned. Note that the
key is where you were born. For example, you were born in the Philippines
but you are now a Canadian citizen the priority date that applies to you
is the priority date for the Philippines NOT Canada.
What Can You Do?
If you were born in any of the countries mentioned above and you are
eligible to file your I-485 but have not done so, you should endeavor to
file it before the end of this year. Remember, you are eligible to file
your I-485 if your labor certification has been approved.
If you are Physical Therapist or a Registered Nurse and you are in the
United States either with a non-immigrant visa, you should apply for your
I-140/I-485 before the end of the year if it is at all possible. For
example, you are a PT presently in the U.S. in OPT status, you should
apply for your I-140/I-485. Another common example would be a PT who
does not have the Visa Screen and who will not be able to renew the H-1B
when it expires in a few months. If that is you, you should apply for
your permanent residence before the end of the year.
Where Can I Look At The Priority Dates?
The State Department publishes a monthly Visa Bulletin to keep us apprised
about the priority dates. You may find it on the following web page:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_bulletincurrent.html
Remember, the employment-based categories are current for the time being.
You will probably not see a change until January. Once more, please
remember that this will probably only affect professionals from India, the
Philippines and mainland China.
fastergcwanted
Registered Users (C)
??
Is it also true for cases still in SWA? i.e. case filed in May 2003 and sitting in VA SWA will be processed before case filed in Dec 2003 and sitting in Phily regional?
AwardMyGC said:
Is it also true for cases still in SWA? i.e. case filed in May 2003 and sitting in VA SWA will be processed before case filed in Dec 2003 and sitting in Phily regional?
fastergcwanted
Registered Users (C)
Hopefully!!!
Thanks for the reply. Hopefully, they will look at the bigger picture. Else cases with SWA can wait for years till many (including some relatively newer cases) gets processed from regional offices.
AwardMyGC said:
Thanks for the reply. Hopefully, they will look at the bigger picture. Else cases with SWA can wait for years till many (including some relatively newer cases) gets processed from regional offices.