PERM Processing Times
DOL Labor Certification for Employment-Based Green Cards
501 days
average processing time
The DOL is currently processing PERM applications filed in January 2025 for analyst review (approximately 16 months backlog). Average processing time is 501 calendar days as of March 2026. Source: DOL FLAG.
Current Processing Queue
January 2025
Cases currently being adjudicated
December 2025
Audit cases being reviewed
November 2025
Appeals being processed
Average Processing Time
501 calendar days
DOL average for analyst review decisions as of March 2026
That's approximately 16.5 months
What is PERM?
PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) is the DOL labor certification process that employers must complete before sponsoring a foreign worker for an employment-based green card. It applies to EB-2 and EB-3 categories.
The employer must demonstrate that there are no qualified, willing, and available U.S. workers for the position, and that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers.
After PERM certification, the employer files Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers) with USCIS. View current I-140 processing times.
PERM Processing Steps
Prevailing Wage Determination
Employer requests a prevailing wage from the National Prevailing Wage Center (NPWC).
Recruitment
Employer conducts recruitment activities to test the U.S. labor market.
PERM Application (ETA-9089)
Employer files the PERM application via the DOL FLAG system. DOL reports an average of 501 calendar days from submission to analyst review decision.
DOL Decision
Certified, denied, or selected for audit. After certification, employer files I-140 with USCIS.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of March 2026, the average PERM processing time is 501 calendar days (approximately 16.5 months). The DOL is currently processing cases filed in January 2025 for analyst review.
The DOL PERM analyst review queue is currently processing cases filed in January 2025. Audit review cases are from December 2025. Reconsideration requests are from November 2025.
You can check your PERM case status at flag.dol.gov/case-status-search. If your application was filed more than three months before the current queue date, contact the OFLC PERM Helpdesk at [email protected].
After PERM certification, the employer files Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers) with USCIS. Once the I-140 is approved and a visa number is available, the beneficiary can file Form I-485 to adjust status to permanent resident.
Cite This Data
Citation
ImmigrationTimes.org. (2026). PERM Processing Times (data as of May 11, 2026). Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://immigrationtimes.org/perm/
Related Forms
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification via FLAG. Data scraped May 11, 2026. Permanent link. Verify on FLAG.DOL.gov.