To check if an LCA was filed by a company, you have three routes: look up the case number in the Department of Labor’s FLAG case-status tool at flag.dol.gov, download the DOL’s quarterly LCA disclosure spreadsheets and search by employer name, or ask the employer directly for the public access file they are legally required to produce within one business day of filing. Each route shows you something a little different, and together they let you confirm the filing exists, see what it says, and compare it against what you were promised.
What to Gather Before You Search
The fastest path starts with the LCA case number. It appears at the top of the certified Form ETA-9035E your employer or immigration attorney should have given you, and it follows a format like “H-100-12345-123456.” With the case number in hand you can pull up the filing in seconds.
Without it, you can still find the filing using the employer’s full legal name. That name sometimes differs from the brand on the building or the website, so check your offer letter, paystub, or W-2 for the exact entity. The worksite matters too. Large companies file separate LCAs for different offices, so having the city and ZIP code of your workplace narrows the search when a spreadsheet runs into hundreds of thousands of rows.
Search by Case Number on FLAG
The Department of Labor’s Foreign Labor Application Gateway hosts a public case-status search at flag.dol.gov. Go to the case-status search page and enter the case number. The system returns the current status of the filing, including whether it was certified, denied, or withdrawn, along with the dates tied to each decision. You can enter up to 30 case numbers at once if you need to check several filings.
FLAG is the right tool when you already have a case number and just want to confirm the filing. It does not let you browse every LCA a company has filed. For that, you need the disclosure data.
Search the DOL Disclosure Spreadsheets by Employer Name
The Office of Foreign Labor Certification publishes cumulative LCA data for each fiscal year on its performance data page at dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/performance. The files are Excel spreadsheets rather than a searchable online database, so you download them and open them on your own computer. Fiscal years run October 1 through September 30, and the data is updated quarterly.
Open the spreadsheet and use Excel’s filter or search function to find the employer’s name, the case number, or the work-location ZIP code. Each row is a single LCA and includes the employer name, job title, SOC occupation code, prevailing wage, offered wage, work location, and case status. The files only include cases with a final determination, so a brand-new filing that is still being processed will not appear until the next quarterly release. A small number of records may also change between quarters if an appeal or redetermination happens after the initial decision.
One limitation to know: the disclosure data strips out personally identifiable information like the Federal Employer Identification Number and foreign worker names. You will not see individual worker details, but you will see every LCA the company filed during that fiscal year, which is what you need to confirm your own filing and compare wage offers across the company’s positions.
Ask the Employer for the Public Access File
Federal regulations require every employer that files an LCA to maintain a public access file for each filing and make it available for inspection within one working day after the LCA is filed with the Department of Labor. The file must be kept at either the company’s main U.S. office or the actual worksite listed on the application. Anyone can ask to see it. You do not need to be the worker named on the filing, and the employer cannot require you to explain why you want it.
The public access file holds more detail than anything online. By regulation, it must include:
- A signed copy of the certified Form ETA-9035E or 9035, including cover pages.
- Documentation of the wage rate the H-1B worker will be paid.
- An actual-wage explanation describing how the employer sets pay for everyone in that role, including any system for raises.
- Prevailing-wage documentation showing the source and methodology used to set the prevailing wage for the occupation and location.
- Proof that the employer notified existing employees or the union about the H-1B hiring.
- A benefits summary covering U.S. workers in the same job classification, plus an explanation of any differences in benefits between U.S. workers and H-1B workers.
In practice, you request the file by contacting the company’s human resources department or the immigration attorney listed on the filing. A refusal is itself a violation. Under 20 CFR 655.810, penalties for obstructing public access to LCA records can reach $2,364 per violation. Willful failures involving wages or working conditions carry penalties up to $9,624 per violation, and violations involving the displacement of U.S. workers can reach $67,367 per violation.
How to Read the LCA Once You Have It
Finding the filing is half the job. The other half is comparing what the LCA says against what the employer actually told you and against your working conditions. A few fields carry most of the weight.
The offered wage on the LCA must be at least the higher of the employer’s actual wage for the role or the prevailing wage for that occupation and location. If your paycheck is lower than the LCA wage, the employer is violating federal law.
The work location is tied to a specific worksite. If you were moved to a different city or office and the employer did not file a new or amended LCA, the original filing may no longer cover your employment. USCIS treats this as a common fraud indicator.
The job title and SOC code determine which prevailing-wage data applies. If the SOC code describes duties far simpler than what you actually do, the employer may have chosen a lower code to justify a lower wage. Compare the listed occupation against your real day-to-day responsibilities.
The wage level runs I through IV. Level I is entry-level with routine tasks and close supervision; Level II is a solid understanding of the field; Level III is experienced work with independent judgment; Level IV is expert-level problem solving with minimal oversight. A senior role labeled Level I is underpaid relative to what the government expects for that work.
The dates of employment matter too. If the employer keeps you working past the LCA’s validity period without a new filing, that is a problem.
USCIS has specifically flagged workers paid less than the LCA wage, performing duties different from the petition, or working in a location not listed on the certified application as indicators of fraud or abuse.
If the LCA Does Not Match Reality
If the numbers on the LCA do not match your situation, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The form is WH-4, submitted to the Wage and Hour office covering the employer’s location. You can also call the division’s hotline at 1-866-487-9243. Complaints are confidential; the DOL will not disclose your name or the existence of the complaint to the employer.
Federal law prohibits employers from retaliating against any worker, U.S. citizen or H-1B holder, who reports a potential violation or cooperates with an investigation. Retaliation includes termination, threats, blacklisting, and other forms of discrimination. Employers who retaliate face penalties of up to $5,000 per violation and a two-year ban from the H-1B program. Remedies for workers who experience retaliation include reinstatement, back wages, and other equitable relief ordered by the Wage and Hour Division.
After you file, a DOL representative may contact you for more details before opening a formal investigation. Bring what you have: paystubs, the LCA you downloaded, your offer letter, and screenshots of the public access file. The more documentation on the record, the faster the case moves.