The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) announced on July 13 that it will host a two-hour technical webinar on July 22 to walk employers and attorneys through best practices for completing Form ETA-9141— the prevailing-wage request that anchors both PERM labor-certification cases and H-1B labor-condition applications. Demand for prevailing-wage determinations has skyrocketed 38 percent year-on-year as companies accelerate green-card sponsorship to retain critical STEM talent amid tighter nonimmigrant quotas. Yet processing times at the National Prevailing Wage Center hover near 12 weeks, with errors such as mismatched Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes or incomplete business activity descriptions responsible for many rejections. During the webinar, OFLC economists will explain how Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data are mapped to job duties and why “Level 1 versus Level 2” wage choices drive audit risk. They will also preview planned electronic filing enhancements, including bulk uploads and API connectivity slated for FY 2027. For global mobility teams, the session offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from adjudicators at a time when prevailing-wage accuracy can make or break a relocation timeline. Employers should register early, prepare sample cases, and coordinate with outside counsel so that frontline HR staff understand the documentation standards well before filing season peaks in September.
