U.S. Department of Homeland Security Launches Known Employer Pilot Program

The DHS today announced the launch of the “Known Employer” pilot to test a new process of pre-evaluating employers who regularly file immigrant and non-immigrant petitions for foreign national employees.

This is the first step in possibly modifying the dated and paper intensive process USCIS uses to reviews employers’ eligibility for employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions.  The Known Employer program is meant to reduce paper usage, costs, and delays in the processing of USCIS petitions.

The pilot program will be extended only to nine companies across a variety of industries.  Participating employers will create a profile in the web-based “Known Employer Document Library (KEDL),” and upload relevant company documents. If USCIS approves the employer’s predetermination request, the employer may then file petitions without resubmitting company information.