PERM processing time: 336 days, now reviewing December 2025 filings

What PERM is and where the time goes

PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) is the labor certification most EB-2 and EB-3 green cards start with: the employer has to show the Department of Labor that no qualified U.S. worker is available for the job at the prevailing wage. It has three parts, and each has its own queue. First the employer asks for a prevailing wage determination; then it runs a set recruitment campaign – two Sunday newspaper ads, a state job order for 30 days, and for professional jobs three more steps – followed by a 30-day quiet period; only then can it file Form ETA-9089, which a DOL analyst reviews.

The date that matters most to the worker is the day the ETA-9089 is filed: it becomes the priority date, the place in the green card line that the Visa Bulletin counts from. So a slow PERM does not cost you your place in line once it is filed – but every month before filing does.

Audits and what slows a case down

The DOL audits a share of applications, some at random and some because of the job's requirements (a foreign-language requirement, a degree-plus-experience combination, a layoff in the occupation, a family relationship between owner and worker). An audited case moves to a separate, slower queue – see the audit review date above. Errors on the form cannot be corrected after filing; a denial means a reconsideration request or starting again with a new priority date.