README.md

---
license: mit
task_categories:
  - tabular-classification
  - tabular-regression
tags:
  - immigration
  - h1b
  - perm
  - labor
  - visas
  - dol
pretty_name: DOL H-1B LCA & PERM Labor Certification Database
size_categories:
  - 1M<n<10M
---

# DOL Visas Database (H-1B LCA + PERM)

Every H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 Labor Condition Application and PERM permanent labor
certification application disclosed by the DOL Office of Foreign Labor
Certification, FY2015 to present, as a single queryable DuckDB database.
**8,533,076 rows.**

| Table | Description | Rows | Cols | Coverage |
|-------|-------------|------|------|----------|
| `lca` | H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 Labor Condition Applications, one row per application per disclosure file, FY2015-present | 7,252,588 | 110 | FY2015 to FY2026 |
| `perm` | PERM permanent labor certification applications, one row per application per disclosure file, FY2015-present | 1,280,488 | 73 | FY2015 to FY2026 |

## Query it remotely

```sql
INSTALL httpfs; LOAD httpfs;
ATTACH 'https://huggingface.co/datasets/Nason/dol-visas-database/resolve/main/dol_visas.duckdb'
    AS visas (READ_ONLY);

SELECT employer_name, COUNT(*) AS certified_lcas
FROM visas.lca
WHERE fiscal_year = 2025 AND case_status = 'CERTIFIED' AND is_latest
GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY 2 DESC LIMIT 10;
```

Or with the datapond package: `pip install datapond`, then
`datapond.connect('dol-visas')`.

Build pipeline, per-era column crosswalks, and full documentation:
https://github.com/ian-nason/dol-visas-database


# Changelog

## 2026-07-07 — Initial release

- `lca`: H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 Labor Condition Applications, FY2015 through
  FY2026-to-date (~7.25M rows, 106 harmonized columns from 4 source-layout
  eras).
- `perm`: PERM labor certification applications, FY2015 through
  FY2026-to-date (~1.28M rows, 69 curated analytical columns from 3 form
  eras; remaining source columns documented as drops in the crosswalk).
- All disclosure rows kept; `is_latest` flags the most recent appearance of
  each case number per program.
- Categorical domains normalized across eras (case_status casing, wage
  levels, Y/N flags, literal 'NULL' strings).
- Known upstream limits: FY2024+ PERM form drops citizenship/admission-class
  and foreign-worker education fields; FY2019 LCA secondary worksite groups
  (2-10) not retained; H-2A/H-2B/CW-1/prevailing-wage files out of scope.