An H-1B LCA search lets you pull up the Labor Condition Application an employer filed with the Department of Labor before hiring a foreign professional, so you can see the promised salary, job title, work location, and current case status. Two official government tools cover most needs: the FLAG case status search if you already have a case number, and the OFLC disclosure data files if you want to search by employer, wage, or location. Several third-party sites repackage the same data into a faster interface.
What an LCA Record Shows You
Form ETA-9035 is the document behind every search result. It captures the employer’s legal name, any trade name, the Federal Employer Identification Number, and the NAICS industry code. On the job side, the record lists the position title, the Standard Occupational Classification code, and whether the role is full-time or part-time.1Department of Labor. Labor Condition Application for Nonimmigrant Workers Form ETA-9035
The wage data is what most people are looking for. Each LCA lists the wage rate offered to the H-1B worker alongside the prevailing wage for that occupation in that geographic area. Federal regulations require the employer to pay whichever is higher.2eCFR. 20 CFR 655.731 – What Is the First LCA Requirement, Regarding Wages You’ll also see the prevailing wage level (I through IV), the source used to determine it, and the work location down to city and county. Start and end dates round out the record, with H-1B LCAs covering up to three years.3eCFR. 20 CFR 655.750 – What Is the Validity Period of the Labor Condition Application
One more field worth watching: a checkbox indicating whether the employer is “H-1B dependent,” meaning a disproportionate share of its workforce holds H-1B status. Dependent employers take on extra obligations to attest they haven’t displaced U.S. workers and recruited domestically first.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 62C – Who Is an H-1B-Dependent Employer
Where to Search
FLAG Case Status Search
The Foreign Labor Application Gateway at flag.dol.gov is the DOL’s official portal. Employers file Form ETA-9035 through this system, and the public case status tool returns filing details in real time.5Department of Labor. Case Status Search You can enter up to 30 case numbers at once, one per line, in the format G-100-12345-123456. The tool has one big limitation: it does not accept employer names, job titles, or any other search field. Without a case number, you need a different route.
OFLC Disclosure Data Files
For research without a case number, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification publishes bulk disclosure files covering each fiscal year. Each file contains every LCA filed during that period, with all the Form ETA-9035 fields as spreadsheet columns.6U.S. Department of Labor. Performance Data You can filter and sort by employer name, SOC code, wage level, work state, NAICS code, or any combination. The files are large and need a spreadsheet program or database tool to work with, but they are the definitive public record.
USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub
A related resource worth knowing about is the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, which tracks petition approvals and denials rather than LCA filings. It accepts searches by employer name, city, state, zip code, or NAICS code and shows how many petitions a company filed and how many were approved.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Employer Data Hub The distinction matters. A certified LCA only means the DOL accepted the wage and job information. The petition itself goes to USCIS, which can still deny it. Cross-referencing both databases gives you a fuller picture of an employer’s actual hiring success.
Third-Party Aggregators
Most casual researchers end up on third-party aggregator sites rather than working through government spreadsheets. These platforms parse the OFLC disclosure files into web interfaces where you can type an employer name and immediately see filing history, salary distributions, and job title breakdowns. Some offer salary maps and trend charts that speed up pattern-spotting.
The tradeoff is freshness and completeness. Aggregators depend on DOL’s quarterly and annual releases, so a filing from last week won’t appear until the next batch. The FLAG case status tool reflects real-time updates by contrast. Third-party sites also occasionally introduce formatting errors during parsing, especially for employer names with special characters or multiple subsidiaries. When accuracy matters for an employment or legal decision, verify against the official source.
How to Run the Search
Your starting point depends on what you already have.
Case number in hand? Go straight to the FLAG case status search at flag.dol.gov/case-status-search. Paste the number and you’ll get current status and filing details within seconds.5Department of Labor. Case Status Search
Only have an employer name? Download the fiscal year’s disclosure file from the OFLC performance data page.6U.S. Department of Labor. Performance Data Open the spreadsheet and filter the employer name column. Large companies may generate hundreds or thousands of rows, so narrowing by work state, SOC code, or NAICS code helps isolate the records you want. The NAICS code is useful when a company operates across multiple industries and you want only its technology or finance roles.
For a quicker but less authoritative route, use one of the established third-party aggregators. Type the employer’s legal name (not a trade name or abbreviation) and select the fiscal year. Most platforms let you sort by wage rate, job title, or filing date. Common names like “ABC Consulting” can return thousands of hits from unrelated companies, so adding the work state or city sharply narrows the list.
Reading a Case Status
The DOL’s certifying officer reviews each filing and issues a determination within seven working days.8eCFR. 20 CFR 655.740 – What Are the Actions on Labor Condition Applications Submitted for Filing Every LCA carries one of four statuses:
- Certified: The application met the requirements and the employer can proceed to file an H-1B petition with USCIS. The DOL does not investigate the truth of the attestations at this stage; it checks only that the form is complete and not obviously inaccurate.
- Denied (Not Certified): The form was incomplete, contained obvious errors (such as a wage rate below the prevailing wage listed on the same application), or the employer has been disqualified from the H-1B program.
- Withdrawn: The employer cancelled the application before the DOL made a decision.
- Certified-Withdrawn: The employer cancelled an already-certified application, often because hiring plans changed or the worker declined the offer.
A certified LCA does not mean the worker received a visa or that the employer even filed a petition. It only confirms the DOL accepted the wage and working condition attestations. The DOL has said it will certify any properly completed form unless it is “obviously inaccurate.”8eCFR. 20 CFR 655.740 – What Are the Actions on Labor Condition Applications Submitted for Filing Enforcement happens later, through audits and complaints.
Reading the Wage Level
The prevailing wage level is one of the most revealing fields for salary benchmarking. The Department of Labor assigns four levels based on job complexity and required experience:
- Level I (entry): Basic understanding of the occupation, typically for workers new to the role under close supervision.
- Level II (qualified): Moderate understanding, routine tasks, limited latitude for independent judgment.
- Level III (experienced): Deeper command of the occupation with some independent judgment.
- Level IV (fully competent): Senior positions requiring significant expertise and authority.
Each level corresponds to a progressively higher wage floor calculated from Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational survey data.9U.S. Department of Labor. Prevailing Wage Information and Resources If a company consistently files at Level I for a role that clearly demands senior expertise, that pattern is worth investigating.
The Employer’s Public Access File
Online databases show only what’s on the form itself. Every H-1B employer must also maintain a physical public access file for each LCA, assembled within one working day of filing and kept at the principal U.S. business location or worksite.10eCFR. 20 CFR 655.760 – What Records Are to Be Made Available to the Public, and What Records Are to Be Retained
The file must include a signed printout of Form ETA-9035, the wage being paid to the H-1B worker with an explanation of how the “actual wage” was set, documentation of the prevailing wage source and calculation, proof of the required worker notification, and a summary of benefits offered to U.S. workers in the same classification with any differences explained.
Any member of the public can request to inspect this file. You don’t need to be a current employee or provide a reason. The employer doesn’t have to mail you copies, but they must let you review the file and take notes or photos.10eCFR. 20 CFR 655.760 – What Records Are to Be Made Available to the Public, and What Records Are to Be Retained If an online search raises questions about an employer’s wage practices, the public access file gives you the underlying documentation.
When the Wage Looks Wrong
If a search turns up a wage that looks suspiciously low, or if you’re an H-1B worker being paid less than what the LCA promises, you can file a complaint with the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division using Form WH-4. The form goes to the WHD office with jurisdiction over the employer’s physical location.11U.S. Department of Labor. Instructions for Form WH-4 – H-1B Nonimmigrant Information A DOL representative may follow up for additional details before opening an investigation. Anyone can file; you don’t have to be the affected worker.
Penalties escalate with the employer’s intent and any harm to U.S. workers, ranging from civil penalties for standard violations up to $35,000 per violation for willful violations that displaced U.S. workers, along with multi-year bars on new H-1B petitions. The DOL can also order back wages covering the full difference between what was paid and what the LCA required.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens A separate public list of willful-violator employers is itself worth checking when evaluating a prospective employer’s compliance history.13U.S. Department of Labor. H-1B Willful Violator List of Employers