Missed Opportunity: Outdated Schedule A List Means PERM Processing Delays Continue

The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Proposed Rule to add new occupations to the Schedule A list is "dead," at least for now. Stakeholders see this as a disappointment and a missed opportunity.

• The failure to move forward with this rule is a significant disappointment for many high-skilled immigrants and the employers who need them, all of whom would have benefited from the streamlined process for obtaining employment-based green cards.
• Considering the current processing times for PERM Applications – which have ballooned over the past year and currently sit at around 15 months – expanded access to Schedule A would provide improved certainty regarding job opportunities for employers and foreign-born workers alike.