Reference Tool · DOL data as of October 31, 2026
PERM Processing Times: November 2026
How long the Department of Labor is taking on PERM labor certification applications (Form ETA-9089) and prevailing wage determinations (Form ETA-9141), read from DOL’s FLAG processing times page, with an estimator for your filing month.
What is PERM?
PERM is the Department of Labor's permanent labor certification. In most cases, before an employer can file an employment-based green card petition for a worker with USCIS, the Department of Labor must certify that there are not enough U.S. workers able, willing, qualified and available for the job, and that hiring the foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers.
The employer first gets a prevailing wage determination from DOL (Form ETA-9141), then recruits for the job, then files the PERM application on Form ETA-9089 through DOL's FLAG system. For most EB-3 and job-offer-based EB-2 cases, this is the first step of the employer-sponsored green card. Schedule A occupations (such as professional nurses and physical therapists) skip the PERM filing with DOL, as do EB-1 petitions (extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational managers and executives) and EB-2 National Interest Waiver petitions.
Sources: DOL FLAG, Permanent Labor Certification (PERM); USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 6, Part E, Ch. 6; 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(a)(2), (d), (h)(5), (i)(3)(iv), (j)(5), (k)(4); 20 C.F.R. § 656.5 (Schedule A)
For how we handle PERM cases, see PERM labor certification.
Read from DOL FLAG on November 3, 2026
Current DOL processing times for PERM and prevailing wage
DOL updates PERM and prevailing wage figures at the end of the first work week of each month. The PERM figures below are as of October 31, 2026 and the prevailing wage figures are as of September 30, 2026, both read from FLAG on November 3, 2026.
Source: DOL FLAG, Processing Times
| Queue | What DOL reports | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PERM (Form ETA-9089): Analyst Review | Average calendar days, determinations in the last 30 days | 300 days | DOL FLAG, as of October 31, 2026 |
| PERM (Form ETA-9089): Analyst Review | Average calendar days, determinations in the last 90 days | 315 days | DOL FLAG, as of October 31, 2026 |
| PERM (Form ETA-9089): Analyst Review | Average calendar days, determinations in the last 180 days | 360 days | DOL FLAG, as of October 31, 2026 |
| PERM: Analyst Review | Filing month currently being processed | Not published. DOL reports Analyst Review as average days instead. | DOL FLAG, checked November 3, 2026 |
| PERM: Audit review | Processing time | Not published. DOL says audit and supervised recruitment cases are too small a share of the PERM workload to report. | DOL FLAG, checked November 3, 2026 |
| PERM: Reconsideration | Processing time | Not published. No reconsideration figure appears on the FLAG processing times page. | DOL FLAG, checked November 3, 2026 |
| Prevailing wage (Form ETA-9141), PERM: OEWS wage source | Receipt month DOL is processing | June 2026 | DOL FLAG, as of September 30, 2026 |
| Prevailing wage (Form ETA-9141), PERM: non-OEWS wage source | Receipt month DOL is processing | June 2026 | DOL FLAG, as of September 30, 2026 |
| Prevailing wage, PERM: Redeterminations | Request month DOL is processing | July 2026 | DOL FLAG, as of September 30, 2026 |
| Prevailing wage, PERM: Center Director Reviews | Request month DOL is processing | July 2026 | DOL FLAG, as of September 30, 2026 |
| Prevailing wage: average days | Average processing days | Not published. DOL gives the receipt month it is processing, not an average. | DOL FLAG, checked November 3, 2026 |
DOL on the prevailing wage months: “The above dates reflect the month and year in which applications were filed (request date) or submission date of the appeal request for Redeterminations or Center Director Review. ... For various reasons, OFLC may be completing the processing of applications filed prior to the month posted.”
DOL on PERM queues: “The average processing days in other queues (Audit, Supervised Recruitment) are not presented due to the significantly small percentage those cases represent in relation to the current total PERM workload.”
PERM prevailing wage requests still pending, by receipt month (as of September 30, 2026)
| Receipt month | Remaining requests |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | 8 |
| May 2026 | 36 |
| June 2026 | 3,532 |
| July 2026 | 15,959 |
| August 2026 | 14,980 |
| September 2026 | 14,519 |
DOL: “Withdrawn and voided requests are excluded from the total, which may cause the numbers for previous months to fluctuate.” DOL FLAG, as of September 30, 2026
Estimate only
When would my filing be reached?
This is our estimate, not a DOL date. For a PERM application we take the middle of your filing month and add DOL's published Analyst Review averages (300, 315 and 360 calendar days), reading them as days from filing to decision. It assumes the case is decided in analyst review without an audit; DOL does not publish times for audited cases. For a prevailing wage request we use DOL's PERM queue for the OEWS wage source (the non-OEWS month is the same in this update) and assume DOL keeps today's gap between the month it is working on and the date of its figures. Actual timing varies by case, and DOL's pace changes from month to month.
Source: DOL FLAG, Processing Times
From PERM to green card: the usual sequence
DOL’s processing time above covers step 3 only.
- 1.
Prevailing wage determination
DOL · Form ETA-9141The employer asks DOL's National Prevailing Wage Center to set the prevailing wage for the job. As of September 30, 2026, DOL was processing PERM requests filed in June 2026. A determination is valid for at least 90 days and no more than one year, and the employer must file the PERM application or begin recruitment within that period.
Sources: DOL FLAG, Permanent Labor Certification (PERM); DOL FLAG, Processing Times; 20 C.F.R. § 656.40(c)
- 2.
Recruitment and notice of filing
EmployerBefore filing, the employer tests the U.S. labor market through the recruitment steps DOL's rules require for the type of occupation, and complies with DOL's notice-of-filing rule.
Source: DOL FLAG, Permanent Labor Certification (PERM)
PERM recruitment steps - 3.
PERM application
DOL · Form ETA-9089The employer files the labor certification application through FLAG. The date DOL accepts it for processing becomes the worker's priority date. As of October 31, 2026, DOL reported an average of 300 to 360 calendar days for applications decided in analyst review.
Sources: DOL FLAG, Permanent Labor Certification (PERM); 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(a)(2), (d), (h)(5), (i)(3)(iv), (j)(5), (k)(4); DOL FLAG, Processing Times
- 4.
Immigrant petition
USCIS · Form I-140A certified labor certification must be filed with USCIS in support of a Form I-140 within 180 calendar days of certification, or it expires. Premium processing is available at this stage ($2,965, with USCIS action within 15 business days for PERM-based EB-2 and EB-3 petitions). National Interest Waiver and EB-1C multinational manager or executive petitions, which do not use PERM, get USCIS action within 45 business days.
Sources: 20 C.F.R. § 656.30(b); USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 6, Part E, Ch. 6; USCIS, Premium Processing; 91 FR 1059 (effective March 1, 2026)
USCIS processing times - 5.
Green card
USCIS · Form I-485, or Department of StateWhen the priority date is current under the Department of State Visa Bulletin, the worker can apply for the green card: through adjustment of status (Form I-485) inside the United States, or through an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad.
Source: INA § 245(a) [8 U.S.C. § 1255(a)]
Green card wait calculator
Is there premium processing for PERM?
No. DOL has no premium or paid expedited processing for PERM applications or prevailing wage requests.
Sources: DOL FLAG, Permanent Labor Certification (PERM); DOL FLAG, Processing Times
Premium processing (Form I-907) is a USCIS program. It applies to the Form I-140 filed after DOL certifies the PERM. For PERM-based EB-2 and EB-3 petitions it costs $2,965 and gets a USCIS action within 15 business days. (National Interest Waiver and EB-1C multinational manager or executive petitions, which skip PERM, get 45 business days.) It does not speed up the DOL steps or the Visa Bulletin wait.
Source: USCIS, Premium Processing; 91 FR 1059 (effective March 1, 2026)
What does PERM cost, and who pays?
The employer pays for the labor certification. Under DOL's rules, the employer may not seek or receive payment of any kind, from the worker or anyone else, for any activity related to obtaining labor certification, including the employer's attorney's fees. Payment includes wage deductions. The one exception is a payer who will benefit from the worker's work through an established business relationship with the employer. The worker may pay for their own attorney, as long as that attorney does not also represent the employer.
Source: 20 C.F.R. § 656.12(b)–(c)
The employer's main costs are legal fees and the advertising and other recruitment the rules require. These vary with the job and the recruitment needed. After certification, USCIS charges a filing fee for Form I-140; check the current amount on the USCIS fee schedule. Premium processing for the I-140 is optional and costs extra.
Sources: 20 C.F.R. § 656.12(b)–(c); DOL FLAG, Permanent Labor Certification (PERM); USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055); USCIS, Premium Processing; 91 FR 1059 (effective March 1, 2026)
Related
PERM processing time FAQs
How long does PERM take right now?
As of October 31, 2026, the Department of Labor reports that PERM applications decided in analyst review took an average of 300 calendar days over the last 30 days, 315 over the last 90 days and 360 over the last 180 days (flag.dol.gov/processingtimes, read November 3, 2026). That covers only DOL's review of the filed application. The prevailing wage and recruitment steps come before it, and the I-140 and green card steps come after.
Source: DOL FLAG, Processing Times
How long does a prevailing wage determination (PWD) take?
DOL publishes the receipt month it is working on rather than an average. As of September 30, 2026, it was processing PERM prevailing wage requests (Form ETA-9141) filed in June 2026. By our count that is 3 to 4 months after filing. DOL notes it may still be completing some requests filed before the posted month.
Source: DOL FLAG, Processing Times
Is there premium processing for PERM?
No. DOL has no premium or paid expedited processing for PERM or prevailing wage requests. Premium processing is a USCIS program that applies to the Form I-140 filed after PERM is certified: $2,965 for a USCIS action within 15 business days on PERM-based EB-2 and EB-3 petitions (45 business days for National Interest Waiver and EB-1C petitions), under 91 FR 1059 (effective March 1, 2026).
Sources: DOL FLAG, Permanent Labor Certification (PERM); USCIS, Premium Processing; 91 FR 1059 (effective March 1, 2026)
What does PERM "analyst review" mean?
Analyst Review is the DOL processing queue that FLAG reports times for. DOL says it does not present average days for its other PERM queues (audit and supervised recruitment) because those cases are a small share of the PERM workload.
Source: DOL FLAG, Processing Times
Does DOL publish PERM audit or reconsideration processing times?
Not on its processing times page today. FLAG reports only the Analyst Review average for PERM, so there is no published figure for how long an audited case or a request for reconsideration takes.
Source: DOL FLAG, Processing Times
Who pays for PERM, and what does it cost?
The employer. DOL's rules bar an employer from seeking or receiving payment of any kind, from the worker or anyone else, for any activity related to obtaining labor certification, including the employer's attorney's fees (20 C.F.R. § 656.12(b)–(c)). The one exception is a payer who will benefit from the worker's work through an established business relationship with the employer. The worker may pay for their own attorney, as long as that attorney does not also represent the employer. The employer's costs are mainly legal fees and required recruitment advertising, and they vary by job. USCIS charges a separate filing fee for the Form I-140.
Sources: 20 C.F.R. § 656.12(b)–(c); USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055)
How do I check my PERM case status?
DOL's FLAG system has a public Case Status Search at flag.dol.gov/case-status-search.
Source: DOL FLAG, Case Status Search
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