# H-1B LCA Employer New-Filing Watchlist (honest quarterly lag) (`plym-actor-factory/h1b-lca-employer-filing-watchlist`) Actor

Watch a list of employers (names or FEINs) and emit typed LCA\_NEW\_FILING events when new cases appear in official DOL OFLC public disclosure Excel/open data. Honest quarterly lag — not a full H-1B salary dump, not myvisajobs HTML.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/plym-actor-factory/h1b-lca-employer-filing-watchlist.md
- **Developed by:** [Daniel Witney](https://apify.com/plym-actor-factory) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $20.00 / 1,000 lca filing event delivereds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## H-1B LCA Employer New-Filing Watchlist (honest quarterly lag)

Watch a **list of employers** (legal names and/or FEINs) and receive **typed `LCA_NEW_FILING` events** when **new** Labor Condition Applications appear in official **DOL OFLC public disclosure** Excel / open data for those employers — role, wage, worksite, visa class, case status. **Not** another full-year H-1B salary dump. **Not** myvisajobs HTML.

**Honest title:** OFLC disclosure cadence is **quarterly** (sometimes an intra-quarter refresh). Detection latency ≈ your schedule + official publish lag. This is **not** a daily filing alert feed.

### Value proposition

- **Employer watchlist × OFLC snapshot diff** → `LCA_NEW_FILING` only for **new case numbers** on your book.
- Official / public DOL data only ([Performance Data](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/performance)). **No paid immigration APIs.**
- **Pay only for unique delivered new-filing events.** First observation of each case stores a baseline (no charge). Quiet quarters ≈ $0.
- Durable KVS checkpoint + `event_uid` dedupe. Events carry `as_of` / `disclosure_quarter` for honest dating.
- Optional filters: visa class, SOC prefix, worksite state, min wage.

### PRODUCTION USE (required for real monitoring)

> **Store default ≠ product.** Schema defaults use `sourceMode=fixture` so Apify Store daily auto-tests leave a non-empty health dataset **without** downloading OFLC Excel. That fixture path only writes a non-billable `RUN_STATUS` / `FIXTURE_HEALTH` row. It is **not** LCA monitoring.

For **production monitoring** you **must**:

1. Set **`sourceMode` = `live`**
2. Provide `employerNames` and/or `employerFeins`
3. Set `disclosureQuarter` (e.g. `FY2026_Q3`) **or** `disclosureFileUrl` to the official DOL Excel/CSV link
4. Schedule runs **after** each OFLC disclosure publish (quarterly)
5. Prefer `maxDisclosureRows` only for smoke tests — full files are large (often **80–250+ MB**)

Official reference: [DOL OFLC Performance Data](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/performance)

### Data limitations (read before buying)

- **Quarterly lag (honest).** OFLC public disclosure is published on a **quarterly** schedule (cumulative FY files). This Actor does **not** claim same-day or daily LCA alerts.
- Live mode downloads the official disclosure **Excel/CSV**. Files are large; budget compute and time accordingly. Use `disclosureFileUrl` when you already have the exact DOL link.
- **First run** stores baselines for matching cases already in the file — you are not charged for “current book” snapshots.
- Name matching is normalized string containment / equality (not fuzzy entity resolution). Prefer FEINs when you have them.
- Unrelated employers in the national file are ignored (watchlist filter — not a dump).
- We cite the U.S. Department of Labor / OFLC as the data origin. This Actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by DOL.

### Apify Store daily auto-test / default input

| Field | Default |
|-------|---------|
| `employerNames` | `["ACME CLOUD INC","CONTOSO LABS LLC"]` |
| `visaClasses` | `["H-1B"]` |
| `sourceMode` | `fixture` |
| `emitFixtureDemoEvents` | `false` |
| `maxRunSeconds` | `55` |
| `maxEvents` | `500` |

On that path the Actor **SUCCEEDS** quickly, pushes exactly one `RUN_STATUS` / `FIXTURE_HEALTH` row (`billable: false`), and does **not** charge `lca-filing-event-delivered`.

### Input (summary)

| Field | Notes |
|-------|--------|
| `employerNames` / `employerFeins` | Watchlist (at least one required at runtime) |
| `visaClasses` / `socCodePrefixes` / `worksiteStates` / `minWageFrom` | Optional filters |
| `sourceMode` | `fixture` (default) or `live` |
| `emitFixtureDemoEvents` | Default **false** |
| `disclosureQuarter` | e.g. `FY2026_Q3` — `as_of` + URL resolve |
| `disclosureFileUrl` | Optional official DOL file URL override |
| `maxDisclosureRows` | CU guard for live smoke |
| `maxRunSeconds` / `maxEvents` | Budgets |
| `resumeFromCheckpoint` | Default true |

#### Production example

```json
{
  "employerNames": ["ACME CLOUD INC", "CONTOSO LABS LLC"],
  "employerFeins": ["12-3456789"],
  "visaClasses": ["H-1B"],
  "sourceMode": "live",
  "disclosureQuarter": "FY2026_Q3",
  "maxRunSeconds": 300,
  "resumeFromCheckpoint": true
}
```

### Output

#### Filing events (billable under PPE)

Typed `LCA_NEW_FILING` rows include: employer, FEIN, case number/status, visa class, job title, SOC, wage, worksite, decision/received dates, `as_of` / `disclosure_quarter`, `evidence`, `summary`, `source_url`, `event_uid`, `billable: true`.

#### RUN\_STATUS (never billed)

Every successful run pushes one health row (`FIXTURE_HEALTH` | `MONITOR_IDLE` | `CATCHUP_COMPLETE` | `HEALTH_OK`) including `as_of` / `disclosure_quarter` when known.

### Pricing

Pay-per-event: **`lca-filing-event-delivered`** at **$0.02** per delivered unique new-filing event ($20 / 1,000). Single tier (see `docs/monetization.md` and ADR 0010). Health / baseline / duplicate / filtered / fixture rows are never charged.

### Local development

```bash
cd actors/h1b-lca-employer-filing-watchlist
npm install
npm test
npm run build
## Store-safe fixture health:
apify run -p
## Demo typed events locally:
## set input emitFixtureDemoEvents=true (still sourceMode=fixture)
```

### Attribution

Data originates from the **U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC)** public disclosure files. Not an official DOL product. Not myvisajobs or any paid immigration analytics vendor.

# Actor input Schema

## `employerNames` (type: `array`):

Legal employer names or distinctive name fragments to watch (case-insensitive; matched against EMPLOYER\_NAME / TRADE\_NAME\_DBA in OFLC disclosure).

## `employerFeins` (type: `array`):

Optional IRS FEINs (digits; punctuation optional). Matched exactly against EMPLOYER\_FEIN.

## `visaClasses` (type: `array`):

Optional filter (e.g. H-1B, E-3 Australian). Empty = all LCA visa classes in the file.

## `socCodePrefixes` (type: `array`):

Optional SOC filter prefixes (e.g. "15-"). Empty = all.

## `worksiteStates` (type: `array`):

Optional 2-letter worksite state filter. Empty = all.

## `minWageFrom` (type: `number`):

Optional advisory floor on WAGE\_RATE\_OF\_PAY\_FROM (same unit as disclosure rows).

## `maxRunSeconds` (type: `integer`):

Wall-clock budget for this scheduled poll.

## `maxEvents` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many unique LCA\_NEW\_FILING events are delivered (does not include RUN\_STATUS).

## `resumeFromCheckpoint` (type: `boolean`):

If true, resume seen case numbers and event\_uids from the default Key-Value Store.

## `sourceMode` (type: `string`):

fixture = local/CI / Apify Store daily auto-test default (no network; emits RUN\_STATUS only unless emitFixtureDemoEvents=true). live = download official DOL OFLC public disclosure Excel/CSV (honest quarterly lag; can be large — set maxDisclosureRows for smoke).

## `emitFixtureDemoEvents` (type: `boolean`):

When sourceMode=fixture, if true push fabricated LCA\_NEW\_FILING events from local fixtures (unit/local demos only). Default false so Store daily auto-tests never emit fake filing events or charge lca-filing-event-delivered. Production: leave false and use sourceMode=live.

## `disclosureQuarter` (type: `string`):

OFLC disclosure quarter label, e.g. FY2026\_Q3. Documented on events / RUN\_STATUS. Live mode uses it to resolve the official DOL Excel URL when disclosureFileUrl is unset.

## `disclosureFileUrl` (type: `string`):

Optional direct URL to an official DOL OFLC LCA disclosure .xlsx or .csv. Prefer this when you already know the file link from dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/performance.

## `maxDisclosureRows` (type: `integer`):

Optional safety cap on rows scanned from a live disclosure file. Unset = full file. Use a small value for smoke tests — full quarterly Excel can be 80–250+ MB.

## `maxTotalChargeUsd` (type: `number`):

Optional soft budget hint for delivered filing events. Platform ACTOR\_MAX\_TOTAL\_CHARGE\_USD also applies when set.

## `requestPaceMs` (type: `integer`):

Minimum delay between outbound public HTTP requests (fair-use pacing).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "employerNames": [
    "ACME CLOUD INC",
    "CONTOSO LABS LLC"
  ],
  "employerFeins": [],
  "visaClasses": [
    "H-1B"
  ],
  "socCodePrefixes": [],
  "worksiteStates": [],
  "maxRunSeconds": 55,
  "maxEvents": 500,
  "resumeFromCheckpoint": true,
  "sourceMode": "fixture",
  "emitFixtureDemoEvents": false,
  "requestPaceMs": 0
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `OUTPUT` (type: `string`):

JSON summary: delivered, charged, runStatus, checkpoint, stats, as\_of / honest quarterly lag

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("plym-actor-factory/h1b-lca-employer-filing-watchlist").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("plym-actor-factory/h1b-lca-employer-filing-watchlist").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call plym-actor-factory/h1b-lca-employer-filing-watchlist --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,plym-actor-factory/h1b-lca-employer-filing-watchlist"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/QY9UUKh1rn9xsbmkn/builds/4QvAkrpYflQ6qGVce/openapi.json