The U.S. Department of Labor announced that it has started accepting ETA 9035 Labor Condition Applications electronically via the DOL's web site. The Labor Condition Application is a form that is filed as part of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa application process. Currently, the application is accepted only by mail or by fax. Web filing of the new ETA 9035E form has begun from January 14th, 2002. Employers will continue to have the option to file the form by fax or by mail.
   
   The DOL is also promising that it will be able to reduce errors in the completion of the LCA forms because the web site will offer online guidance in completing the form. The DOL promises that its web site will have detailed instructions, prompts and checks to help in completing the form.
   
   There are a few changes in the ETA 9035E form. While the form is largely identical, it does contain additional blocks to be marked by the employer to acknowledge that the submission is being made electronically and that the employer will be bound by the LCA's obligations. Also, employers will still be required to sign a printed version of the ETA 9035E and must retain the document in their files including in the employer's LCA public access files. Another signed copy of the form must be submitted to the INS as part of the I-129 petition. The INS has yet to introduce any sort of electronic filing in any of its visa petition processes.
   
   
   The INS, in a press release, disclosed that application fees would be increased by $5 from February 19 2001. This rise would also apply for the application fees including naturalization. The INS, which had announced the increases this summer, officially announced them on Friday in the Federal Register after a period of public comment. Applications mailed, postmarked or filed on February 19 and beyond will be subject to the new fees. Eyleen Schmidt, INS spokeswoman said that the new fee on every application would pay for technology costs. The goal of INS is to reduce application-processing times to an average of six months nationally by the end of 2003, and six months at every office by the end of 2004.
   
   The INS expects that the raised fees would give an additional income of $127 million for the agency. The INS will use the money to pay the costs of processing applications, provide benefits for asylum seekers and refugees and defray the costs for immigrants who can't afford the fees. Congress approved an $8.6 billion budget for the agency in 2002, an 18 percent increase over 2001. The INS said it received 133 comments from the public opposing the increase. Opponents complained about the waiting times for applications to be completed and the backlog of applications. INS has been criticized for its service record, leading some members of Congress to call for its abolishment or a significant restructuring. INS Commissioner James Ziglar, who took over the agency in August, is dividing the agency's service and enforcement duties in district offices around the country.