July 15, 2005 - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) today announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) has been addressing PERM decision logic issues that AILA has been bringing to its attention. AILA reported that:

• DOL has re-run the cases already in its PERM system--including those for which a denial notice has actually been sent--and a large number of previously-denied cases are now in processing for full review;
  
• DOL reports that it has "fixed glitches in the [PERM] system;" and
  
• DOL expressed its thanks for "patience as we sort through the new system."
  

BAL Comment: We are closely monitoring developments in the evolution of the PERM system and are incorporating new information as it becomes available into PERM applications now being prepared. While the PERM regulations have been set, the details regarding best practices for preparing PERM applications may shift as DOL works out the bugs and clarifies issues that were not addressed in the regulations. We expect that this will be a continuing process over the next several months and will continue to monitor and incorporate new developments as they occur. So far, we have had good luck with the PERM cases we have filed, and we have contributed to the effort to help DOL correct its system.