In employment-based immigration practice, a Job Code (SOC) Recommendation refers to an intelligent suggestion of one or more Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes that align with a job’s duties, education requirements, and responsibilities. SOC codes are used by the U.S. Department of Labor and USCIS to classify occupations and help determine prevailing wage levels, specialty occupation eligibility, and alignment with regulatory criteria.
Choosing an appropriate SOC code is essential for accurate Labor Condition Applications (LCAs), prevailing wage determinations, and petition consistency and errors can raise compliance issues or trigger Requests for Evidence (RFEs).
How Job Code (SOC) Recommendation Works
Immigration software analyzes structured job data, such as job title, duties, required skills and education and matches it to relevant SOC codes based on standardized occupational definitions. These recommendations are intended to assist attorneys in identifying the best-fitting classification, while preserving attorney judgment and responsibility in the final selection.
Attorneys review the recommended codes, assess whether they align with the position’s substantive requirements, and confirm the choice before inclusion in an LCA or petition.
How It Works in Imagility
Imagility’s Immigration Wizard incorporates Recommended SOC Code Selection as a core step in crafting employment-based petitions:
- During petition building, the system suggests relevant SOC codes based on the chosen LCA and position details.
- These suggestions are generated by analyzing job data, including duties, wage levels, and educational requirements and recommending codes that best align with regulatory frameworks like the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Attorneys can select, review, and confirm the SOC code before finalizing the petition, ensuring that the classification reflects the true nature of the role.
By embedding SOC code recommendations within the workflow, Imagility helps legal teams build petitions with greater consistency and reduced manual research time, while maintaining full control and professional accountability.
Why It Matters for Attorneys
- Improves Accuracy: Reduces guesswork by identifying occupational classifications that closely mirror role requirements.
- Saves Time: Automates part of the petition preparation process that often involves laborious research.
- Supports Compliance: Helps ensure that SOC codes correlate correctly with wage levels and specialty occupation standards.
See how Imagility helps attorneys identify, review, and validate SOC codes more efficiently during petition preparation.
