Frequently Asked Questions - LCA
Labor Condition Application. This is a part of some nonimmigrant visa applications process including H-1 visas. Not to be confused with "Labor Certification" also known as PERM, which is a part of the green card process. An LCA, or Labor Condition Application, is required to be submitted to and certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as a part of an H-1B application. The LCA serves to ensure that U.S. wages will not be depressed by the hiring of the H-1B employee and that the H-1B worker will not be exploited. In the LCA, the employer guarantees that it will pay the H-1B worker the required wage, which is the greater of the prevailing wage or the actual wage paid to other employees in the same position; that the H-1B employee will not displace a U.S. worker; and that the employment will not adversely affect the working conditions of workers similarly employed in the area of intended employment.
Posting at the employer’s offices is not sufficient if the beneficiary is working off-site. It is required by regulations that the notices are posted in two conspicuous places at the actual location where the work is to be performed.
See clip from Attorney Rajiv S. Khanna's conference call video that addresses this question.
Yes, you do. E-3 visas for Australia and H-1B1 for Singapore and Chile, all require an LCA.