Glossary of Terms

PERM : This is the new procedural method of establishing a US Employer’s right to hire aliens for permanent employment. PERM replaces the traditional Permanent Employment Certification process from March 27 th , 2005.

DOL : Department of Labor is the general division of government that oversees Permanent Employment Certification under the headship of the Secretary of Labor.

INA : Immigration and Nationality Act. This is the overriding statute governing the bulk of all immigration law. The section pertaining to Permanent Employment Certification originates from section 212(a)(5)

ETD : This department is the division with the DOL that administers the Permanent Employment Certification program.

ETA : See SESA below.

SESA : All applications for certifications must be filed with the local office in the area of intended employment, for initial processing and ultimate referral to the regional office of the ETA.

DOT : This is a two-volume dictionary of occupational titles containing a comprehensive definition of job titles and lists of occupational classifications. The DOT is important in determining the appropriate job title for a Permanent Employment Certification application.

SVP : The SVP scale from 1 to 9 represents the combination of education, training and experience that is appropriate for the job as it is described in the DOT. The SVP scale is incorporated within the DOT code number.

PWD : Obtaining an accurate and up-to-date prevailing wage for the job under consideration is one of the most critical aspects of Permanent Employment Certification.

SWA : The State Workforce Agency is the agency that determines the prevailing wage. http://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/map.asp is a good place to start.

SOC : For each job/occupation there is an assigned SOC code (or O*Net/OES). This is how you ensure the right prevailing wage matches the job under consideration. See http://atlas.doleta.gov/foreign for more details.

OES : Another source for determining the right prevailing wage for a given job/occupation.

TAG : The Technical Assistance Guide is a staff guide implementing the regulations. See reference No.656.

GAL : The General Administration Letters or Field Memoranda updates the Technical Assistance Guide.

BLS : This provides information on a range of issues regarding the US labor market, for example, SOC job classification codes and much more. See bls.gov for a complete review of services provided.