June 23, 2004 -- The Department of Labor backlog reduction regulation recently cleared the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The regulation entitled, "Labor Certification for Permanent Employment of Aliens in the United States; Backlog Reduction" is in the interim final rule stage. The regulation will allow labor certification processing tasks to move from the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to the federal government, and will create backlog reduction centers, currently planned for Philadelphia and Dallas. Please note that, despite the review having been completed, it could still be some time until the regulation sees the light of day. We will continue to update you as events occur regarding this regulation.