On July 8, 2013, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) approved OFLC's revised retention schedule following a 30-day period of public notice and review. As part of its review and approval process, NARA determined employer applications for labor certification and supporting documentation, whether retained in paper and electronic form, are temporary records and subject to destruction in accordance with an approved disposition schedule. The OFLC-approved disposition schedule authorizes the retention of records for a period of 5 years following the date a final determination letter is issued, subject to an active investigation or litigation hold.
The records NARA identified as permanent records are the annual disclosure data files currently located on the FLC Data Center at http://www.flcdatacenter.com, as well as the quarterly disclosure data files and the OFLC Annual Reports located on the OFLC Performance page at http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/performancedata.cfm.
Permanent program applications retained in the OFLC Permanent Backlog System (PBLS): As of October 25, 2013 the OFLC no longer has access to employer application records that are beyond the retention period of 5 years from the date a final determination was issued and stored in the PBLS system. The PBLS system, which was previously used by the OFLC Backlog Processing Centers, has now been destroyed in accordance with OFLC Records Schedule Number DAA-0369-2013-0002. Prior to destruction of the PBLS system software and database, any records within the 5-year retention period, active investigation, Freedom of Information Act requests, or mandatory litigation hold have been identified and were not destroyed.
The OFLC will no longer respond to inquiries to confirm priority dates, search for records in response to FOIA requests, or provide information for requests for duplicate certifications for permanent labor certification applications with a final determination issued in 2008 or earlier, in keeping with the OFLC records schedule.
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