Business Anxiety Rises With Labor Department Green Card Delays

The Labor Department is attracting new scrutiny from immigrant workers and their employers as wait times grow during the agency’s role in the employment-based visa approval process.

Employers seeking to hire foreign workers must first test the US labor market by advertising with a DOL-approved prevailing wage. Following that recruitment process, they must apply for labor certification from the DOL before submitting an immigrant worker petition with US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

USCIS and the State Department thus far have borne the brunt of criticism for backlogs in obtaining immigration benefits. But mounting delays at the DOL are adding to ...