Backlog Elimination Centers

Is there a date by which an employer's original application must have been filed in order to be eligible for conversion from TR to RIR?

According to the Labor Department:

Yes, applications must have been postmarked on or before March 28, 2005. This is an extension from the prior deadline and essentially includes all open TR cases in the backlog for which a job order has not been initiated.

What should I do if my case status is "Closed" but I do not believe it should be closed because I never received a 45-day letter?

According to the Labor Department:

Please see our policy and FAQs regarding Requests for Reopening based on 45-day letters here: backlog_faqs_07-10-06.pdf (PDF, 50KB)

According to the Labor Department:

No, under existing regulations, Schedule B applications are not eligible for the RIR process.

The message on my Corrections List states, "The Employer's name/address is not the same on Form ETA 750 Part A and Part B." What do I need to do?

According to the Labor Department:

Please refer to item 6 on Form ETA 750 Part A and item 8 on Form ETA 750 Part B. These items must match exactly on your application. Initial and date any corrections you make on your application and return it to the appropriate Backlog Processing Center.

According to the Labor Department:

No. Due to the Office of Foreign Labor Certification's (OFLC) intensive effort to eliminate the backlog, it is not practical for the BEC to delay recruitment on applications to await RIR conversion requests. Therefore, BECs will not delay recruitment to allow for RIR conversion. Requests for RIR conversion must be received prior to the beginning of supervised recruitment to be considered. Employers should send their requests and appropriate documentation as soon as possible to maximize their opportunity for RIR conversion.

According to the Labor Department:

The Selection of Continuation Option Letter may be signed and submitted by either the employer or the employer's attorney/agent of record. We request, however, that employers and attorneys coordinate to determine who will submit the Selection of Continuation Option Letter to ensure that the appropriate Backlog Processing Center does not receive conflicting or duplicate responses. In the instance of conflicting responses, we will default to the employer's response.

According to the Labor Department:

There are several possible reasons an employer or their attorney might not have heard anything from the BEC about the case. Some examples include, but are not limited to: 1) the State or Regional office may have disposed of the case prior to shipping and the applicant did not receive notification; 2) The State or Regional office may have inadvertently not shipped the case to the BEC; 3) the BEC may have attempted to contact the applicant but the contact information was incorrect; or 4) the BEC inadvertently omitted the case during data entry.

According to the Labor Department:

Because RIR applications do not undergo the same recruitment process, these applications generally reach final resolution (certification or denial) in significantly less time than TR applications. Therefore, it is often to the employer's advantage to convert applications from TR to RIR

If I send in the required information about my case, will I have to respond to a Center Receipt Notification Letter (CRNL) indicating that I want to continue?

According to the Labor Department:

If the information you provide is sufficient to reconstruct the case, you will not have to respond to a CRNL as the request about the case will be taken as proof of a desire to continue. However, if information is missing that is required to continue processing, you may receive a CRNL with a corrections list of information required to continue processing. You should respond to this letter within the 45-day timeframe.

According to the Labor Department:

The employer, or its designated attorney or agent, may file the request for RIR conversion.

Aliens are not eligible to request conversion, and the Backlog Elimination Centers (BECs) will not respond to such requests.

In order to establish a "pattern of recruitment," which date is used as the reference point – the date the original application was received or the date the RIR conversion request is received?

According to the Labor Department:

The point of reference for the pattern of recruitment is based upon the date the RIR conversion request was received. In other words, the earliest acceptable published advertisement or other recruitment activity must have occurred within six months prior to the date the RIR conversion request was received by the BEC. Earlier advertisements or other recruiting activities will not be considered by the BEC in determining whether a pattern of recruitment has been established.

According to the Labor Department:

First, check to make sure you entered the correct case number. Even a slight variation from the correct number can cause no case information to be found. If you are sure you entered the correct case number and no case information is found, contact the appropriate BEC that has your case at info@dal.dflc.us or info@phi.dflc.us.

During the public briefings, the Department indicated that there will be 2 processing tracks—Reduction in Recruitment (RIR) and Traditional Recruitment (TR). As to the First in-First out (FIFO) principle, does this mean RIR cases will be separated or distinguished from permanent TR cases?

According to the Labor Department:

Yes, there will be two processing tracks—RIR and TR. Each track will have a separate FIFO queue. At the centers we will allocate resources so that RIR and TR cases receive equitable treatment in processing

Should I use the procedure described here if I have already heard from the BEC that my case was closed, or have another question about a case?

According to the Labor Department:

No. This process is only for cases about which the employer or their attorney has not heard from the BEC about the case at all. If you believe your case was closed in error due to non-receipt or non-response to a 45-day letter, you should send your request to the BEC where the closed cased was pending, the Dallas BEC at reopenrequest@dal.dflc.us or the Philadelphia BEC at reopenrequest@phi.dflc.us.

If you have another question about a case, it should go to the general information box at info@dal.dflc.us for the Dallas BEC or at info@phi.dflc.us for the Philadelphia BEC.

According to the Labor Department:

All cases filed between 1/1/05 and postmarked before 3/28/05 will be processed by the Backlog Processing Centers.

According to the Labor Department:

There is no specific date by which an employer or their agent may request RIR conversion. However, by regulation, once the BEC has posted the job order to begin the recruitment process, the application is no longer eligible for RIR conversion. Since applications are processed by filing date, recruitment for TR applications is begun on a rolling basis based on priority date as cases are processed. Therefore, it is to the advantage of an employer who would like to request an RIR conversion to do so as soon as possible to minimize the possibility that the BEC begins recruitment on the application.

According to the Labor Department:

Due to the large volume of files transferred to the two Backlog Processing Centers, we cannot determine when your "45-day" Center Receipt Notification Letter (CRNL) will be mailed to you. As soon as your case is entered into the U.S. DOL Permanent Backlog System (PBLS), a "45-day" CRNL will be generated and sent to you and your attorney/agent of record, if one exists. Once you receive the "45-day" CRNL, all requested corrections, supporting documents, and the enclosed Selection of Continuation Option Letter must be returned to the appropriate Backlog Processing Center. In the designated space at the bottom of the Selection of Continuation Option Letter, please indicate your decision as to whether "I wish to withdraw this application" or "I wish to continue the processing of this application" with a check mark.

What should I do if I do not have a case number because I never received a 45-day letter or any correspondence from a Backlog Elimination Center (BEC)?

According to the Labor Department:

Please see the procedure regarding "No BEC Contact" here: backlog_faqs_09-11-06_nobec.pdf (PDF, 47K)

The message on my Corrections List states, "Failed Existence Check: Employer's address/phone number does not reference back to employer's name." What should I do to resolve this problem?

According to the Labor Department:

You must submit a copy of the employer's articles of incorporation, business license, state registration, or other official documents that establish the employer as a bona fide business entity at a specific address to the appropriate Backlog Processing Center.

I've already e-mailed a request about a "no contact" case to the "no BEC contact" e-mail address prior to this announcement, but have not heard anything, should I send another request?

According to the Labor Department:

No. BECs did not process e-mail to these boxes pending the release of this procedure. You should receive an initial acknowledgement of your request soon, depending on the volume of cases.