In this episode on sponsoring employees or prospective employees for PERM green cards, I’m joined by Founder Law associate attorney Amenah Keshari, who focuses on business immigration law.
But before we get into the ins and outs of PERM, we’re happy to share the latest news that the Trump administration has backed down from placing restrictions on international students taking online classes thanks to lawsuits filed by Harvard and MIT, states, and other universities. We are also excited to announce that Founder Law and Pranos.ai have joined forces to launch Community for Global Innovation, a nonprofit initiative where tech companies can make a pledge to support diversity hiring regardless of country of birth or citizenship and students can get involved.
Now, for the ins and outs of PERM, which is required of the most common employment-based green cards. Employers who want to sponsor an employee or prospective employee for any of the following green cards must get a PERM labor certification approved by the U.S. Department of Labor before filing a green card petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:
- EB-2 green card for individuals with an advanced degree
- EB-2 green card for individuals with exceptional ability
- EB-3 green card for skilled workers, professionals, and other workers
The PERM Labor Certification is a time-intensive process aimed at protecting opportunities, wages, and working conditions of U.S. workers. Because PERM will determine whether you can move forward with pursuing an EB-2 or EB-3 green card for your employee or prospective employee, we recommend working with an experienced immigration lawyer.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- What is PERM labor certification and why it’s called PERM
- Find out how long the PERM process typically takes
- Deadlines and timing issues
- Steps required for PERM
- How to strategically prepare for the PERM process
- Best practices, particularly for startups
- Why you should work with an experienced immigration attorney
- What you can do if PERM is denied
- What to do after PERM is approved
- How to increase an employee or prospective employee’s chances of getting PERM and a green card
- Under what circumstances a new PERM would need to be filed for an employee
Resources mentioned:
Immigration Law for Tech Startups Episode 4: An Overview of the Green Card Process
Founder Law’s page on employment-based green cards
Get Founder Law’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook