In an effort to enhance adjudication of employment-based immigration petitions, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has developed the Web-based Validation Instrument for Business Enterprises (VIBE) program. VIBE uses data from the independent information provider Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) to validate basic information for companies and organizations petitioning to employ foreign workers. If company information included in the petition does not match VIBE records, the company can expect a Request for Information before the petition is approved.
VIBE allows USCIS to collect the following information:
- Business activities, such as type of business (North American Industry Classification System code), trade payment information and status (active or inactive)
- Financial standing, including sales volume and credit standing
- Number of employees, including onsite and globally
- Relationships with other entities, including foreign affiliates
- Status, for example whether it is a single entity, branch, subsidiary or headquarters
- Ownership and legal status, such as LLC, partnership or corporation
- Company executives
- Date of establishment as a business entity
- Current physical address
Before filing a petition for a foreign worker, companies and organizations should ensure that the information that is reported on D&B is up-to-date and conforms with the information contained in the employment petition. There are two ways to contact D&B directly to check the accuracy of your record.
- By telephone: 1-800-234-DUNS (3867) or
- Online at www.dnb.com in the “Customer Resources” section of the D&B’s website. Once there, the “Update Your D&B Report” link provides a secure process for a business to update its information directly and correct any inconsistencies it may find within its business record.
We recommend that employers review their business records at D&B to ensure that they are up-to-date before filing an employment-based petition in order to avoid delays during the processing of their petitions.
