PERM - Layoff

[sid20051]

Hello,

I work as a s/w engineer for a mid-size company in the bay area. I have been trying to file my Green Card but haven't been able to apply for PERM (labor cert) because there was at least one layoff in my company and I was told by my lawyer that I will have to wait at least 6 more months before I can apply. This has happened twice already and I haven't been able to apply for PERM for almost a year now. My questions:

(1) Is there some alternative or workaround for this situation?

(2) What do big companies like Microsoft, Oracle and Google do? These companies must have a lot of layoffs going on yet I hear their employees getting green cards.

Any information on this is most appreciate!

Thanks
Siddharth

[txh1b]

1. No as if the company does apply and gets into an audit situation, it really gets messy for the employer. Hence, in general, good companies don't.
2. I have worked in one such major employer in the past and they do not file GCs in case of a layoff going on in that particular department as well. As they are huge, they mostly go by departments. That is the very reason I quit as GC situation was getting messy.

[sid20051]

Thanks for your response. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience in this matter.

Siddharth