Effective January 21, 2010, the Department of Labor’s iCERT online system will be updated to allow the submission of electronic prevailing wage determination requests. This electronic process will allow Employers and/or their Designated Representatives to submit and obtain prevailing wage determinations (PWD) for use in the H-1B, H-1B1 (Chile/Singapore), H-1C, H-2B, E-3 (Australia), and permanent labor certification programs through the iCERT portal.
Until January 21, 2010, all prevailing wage determination requests must continue to be submitted by U.S. Mail or comparable physical delivery service to the Washington, D.C. address listed below.
BACKGROUND – On December 19, 2008, the Department published a Final Rule addressing the Labor Certification Process and Enforcement for Temporary Employment in Occupations Other Than Agriculture or Registered Nursing in the United States (H-2B Workers), and Other Technical Changes. The Final Rule implemented a federalized process for obtaining PWD requests for use in the H-2B temporary nonagricultural labor certification program directly from the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) appropriate National Processing Center (NPC)–which was designated as the Chicago NPC.
Furthermore, effective as of January 1, 2010, the Final Rule also federalized PWD for use in the H-1B, H-1B1 (Chile/Singapore), H-1C, E-3 (Australia), and the permanent labor certification programs.
Requestors must submit PWD requests using the Application for Prevailing Wage Determination, Form ETA-9141.
Requestors must submit PWD requests to the NPWHC by U.S. Mail or comparable physical delivery service at the following address until January 21, 2010 when electronic means are available:
U.S. Department of Labor-ETA, National Prevailing Wage and Helpdesk Center,
Attn: PWD Request:
1341 G Street, NW Suite 201
Washington, DC 20005-3142
In summary, State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) and the Chicago NPC no longer accept and process PWD requests received on and after January 1, 2010. All PWD Requests submitted on and after 1/1/2010 must be centralized and processed at the DOL Washington, D.C. office until electronic means are available on January 21, 2010.