PILLAR · PERM
PERM Labor Certification
Running-median processing time computed from DOL OFLC PERM disclosure CSVs — case-received-date to final-determination-date, by determination month.
What PERM labor certification is
PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) is the U.S. Department of Labor's labor-certification step required for most EB-2 and EB-3 employer-sponsored green cards. The employer attests to DOL through Form ETA-9089 that no qualified U.S. workers are available at the prevailing wage for a specific position. PERM certification is the prerequisite for filing the I-140 immigrant petition; the PERM filing date becomes the priority date for the visa bulletin queue.
PERM is filed only after a prevailing wage determination (PWD) is obtained via Form ETA-9141 and a 60-day recruitment campaign plus a 30-day quiet period are completed. Standard analyst review currently runs 9–12 months per the DOL FLAG processing-times dashboard; audited cases sit in a separate 16–24 month queue, and BALCA appeals exceed 24 months. There is no premium processing for PERM. EB-1, EB-2 NIW, and EB-5 do not require PERM.
PERM sub-pages
- PERM processing time · analyst review, audit queue, BALCA appeals, supervised recruitment timing
- Labor certification overview · what PERM is and why EB-2/EB-3 require it
- PERM audit · what to file when DOL audits the case, 30-day response window
- Prevailing wage determination · ETA-9141 PWD process and wage levels 1-4