How to Compare LCA Filings Across Matching Periods

Match six months with six months

This worked example uses the existing OfferBrief disclosure snapshots. Their recorded minimum and maximum decision dates were inspected October 30, 2026; this is not a fresh download or validation of the underlying DOL spreadsheets.

The fiscal-year label is not the calendar year. Matching date ranges is necessary but not sufficient: confirm units, filters, duplicates and decision status before comparing totals.

A review sheet for the next comparison

Release and coverage

Save the exact release filename, download date and source link. Check the earliest and latest decision dates, plus any missing intervals.

Quarterly or cumulative?

Read the release documentation and inspect the data. Adding Q1 to a cumulative Q2 file can count the first quarter twice.

Unit and filters

Use the same visa class, case status and counting unit in both windows. Spreadsheet rows, cases and requested positions are different units.

Entity matching

Document the employer matching method. Reorganizations and naming differences can resemble a change in activity.

Interpretation

State what the matched comparison supports, and leave uncertainty visible. Do not turn a filing count into a hiring forecast.

What a filing comparison cannot tell you

LCA filings are wage attestations. They are not visa petitions, lottery selections, approvals or hires, and they do not establish that a particular vacancy is open. This guide publishes no new employer ranking, filing total or probability.

Find official DOL disclosure releases and verify the current documentation before a new analysis. The existing snapshots described here remain historical examples; their date labels alone do not revalidate the raw files.