How to Get Your LCA Copy Online: Employer, DOL Files, and Public Access

To get a copy of your Labor Condition Application online, start by asking your employer, who was legally required to give you a certified, signed copy no later than your first day of work.¹ If that route fails, the U.S. Department of Labor publishes every certified LCA in free, downloadable disclosure files that anyone can search.

Ask Your Employer First

Federal regulations require every employer sponsoring an H-1B, H-1B1, or E-3 worker to hand over a copy of the certified LCA (Form ETA 9035 or 9035E), signed by the employer, no later than the day you report to the job site.¹ If you never received one or misplaced yours, a direct request to HR or the company’s immigration attorney usually resolves it. The employer is required to have the document on file.

If your employer stalls, refuses, or you’ve since left the company, the online disclosure data below is your backup.

Download the DOL’s LCA Disclosure Files

The Department of Labor does not run a search-by-name lookup tool. Instead, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) publishes bulk disclosure files containing every certified LCA for each federal fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). Download them from the DOL’s performance data page at dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/performance.²

Files come as Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx). For the current period, three separate files are available: the main disclosure data, an appendix, and a worksites file listing every work location tied to each LCA.² Historical files run back to fiscal year 2008.

If an older guide directs you to FLCDataCenter.com, ignore it. That site was discontinued in July 2024 and its data was consolidated into the performance data page.³

Searching the Spreadsheet

Open the file for the fiscal year that covers your LCA’s certification date, then use Excel’s filter or Find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on Mac).

Case number. Fastest match if you have it. LCA case numbers follow the format I-XXX-XXXXX-XXXXXX (for example, I-200-12345-678901). Filter the case number column for an exact match.
Employer name. Filter the employer column. Try variations, since the registered legal name often differs from a brand name.
Work location. For large employers, add a city or state filter to cut the results down.
Wage level. Each record shows both the offered wage and the prevailing wage for the occupation and area, so you can compare compensation across filings.

Each record carries a unique OFLC case number and reflects the most recent determination for that case. Applications still being processed will not appear, and personally identifiable information such as the worker’s name and address is stripped before publication.² That means the disclosure file confirms the filing and its terms, but it is not identical to the signed copy your employer holds.

Inspect the Employer’s Public Access File

Every employer that files an LCA must maintain a public access file and make it available for examination at its main U.S. office or the work location within one working day of filing.⁴ Anyone can ask to see it. You do not need to be the named worker, a current employee, or a government official.

The file must include:⁵

The certified LCA (Form ETA 9035 or 9035E)
The rate of pay for the H-1B worker
A description of the actual wage system used to set wages for similarly employed workers
The prevailing wage rate and its source
Documentation showing the employer met posting or notice requirements
A summary comparing benefits offered to U.S. workers and H-1B workers
A list of any entities treated as a single employer for LCA purposes

You are allowed to copy the file by transcription, scanning, or photographing the documents.⁵ This route gives you the full wage documentation and benefits comparison that the online disclosure files leave out.

What the LCA Shows You

Once you have the document in hand, the fields that matter most to a worker or job applicant are:

Employer name and address. The legal name of the sponsor and their business location.
Occupational classification. The job category, usually identified by a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code plus the employer’s own job title.⁶
Prevailing wage. What similarly employed workers in that geographic area typically earn for that occupation.⁶
Offered wage. The wage the employer will pay, which must meet or exceed the prevailing wage.⁶
Employment period. Start and end dates of the authorized employment.
Work location. The specific city and state where the work will take place.

Wage levels run from Level 1 (entry-level) up through Level 4, and they reflect the experience and skill the position requires. Experienced workers classified at Level 1 is one of the more common red flags to check for.

Act Before the Retention Window Closes

If you’re trying to obtain records from a former employer, timing matters. Employers must retain LCA records for one year beyond the last date any H-1B worker was employed under that LCA. If no worker was ever hired under it, retention runs one year from the LCA’s expiration or withdrawal.⁷ Payroll records must be kept for three years from creation. After those windows close, the employer has no obligation to keep anything, and the public access file goes away with them. Request what you need sooner rather than later.

The DOL’s downloadable disclosure files, on the other hand, remain online indefinitely, so the certified LCA data itself stays retrievable even after the employer’s file is gone.

If the Employer Refuses or Retaliates

Employers who fail to maintain proper LCA records, or who block public access to the public access file, can be fined up to $2,364 per violation for conduct that interferes with the DOL’s ability to determine compliance or that prevents the public from getting information needed to file a complaint.⁸ They can also be barred from filing new visa petitions for at least one year.

If an employer retaliates against a worker for requesting LCA documents, filing a complaint, or cooperating with an investigation, penalties climb to up to $9,624 per violation and a minimum two-year ban on filing visa petitions.⁸ If you’ve been hesitant to ask for your copy because you’re worried about how the employer will react, that protection is written into the law.

1
eCFR. 20 CFR 655.734 – What Is the Fourth LCA Requirement, Regarding Notice?
2
U.S. Department of Labor. Performance Data
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Office of Foreign Labor Certification Announces That FLCDataCenter Has Been Discontinued
4
eCFR. 20 CFR 655.760 – What Records Are to Be Made Available to the Public, and What Records Are to Be Retained?
5
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. What Records Must an H-1B Employer Make Available to the Public?
6
eCFR. 20 CFR 655.730 – What Is the Process for Filing a Labor Condition Application?
7
U.S. Department of Labor. Record Retention
8
eCFR. Subpart I – Enforcement of H-1B Labor Condition Applications and H-1B1 and E-3 Labor Attestations