EAD vs. Labor Certificate?

Question

What is an EAD (Employment Authorization Document)?

What is a Labor Certificate?

What is labor certification?

Are these all the same thing or are they related but different stuff?

Answer 1

An EAD is a document issued to aliens in the U.S. to show that they have been authorized to accept employment. It has nothing to do with a Labor Certification which is issued by the Department of Labor to signify that there is a shortage of available workers in a certain part of the country in a particular occupation.

For example, there's a shortage of nurses in the U.S. The Labor Dept. has issued a Labor Certification saying that the entire country lacks sufficient people who are ready, willing and able to perform nursing duties. Therefore, employers can bring in foreign nurses to fill in the gap.

Whether you say labor certificate or certification, you're talking about the same thing.