PERM processing times
Current DOL FLAG PERM processing-time snapshot for the priority-date month and recent average days in Analyst Review, Audit Review, and Reconsideration. It can set expectations, but it cannot predict an individual PERM case.
Source
FLAG
Fetched
Nov 8, 2026
Status
completed
FLAG PERM processing-time context last verified . Page updated: .
How to read it
FLAG breaks PERM timing into separate queues. Each one reports the priority-date month currently being processed and a recent average in calendar days.
The standard PERM queue every case enters. FLAG shows the priority-date month OFLC analysts are currently working through, plus the recent average number of calendar days cases spent in analyst review.
A separate, slower track for cases DOL pulls for audit. FLAG lists the priority-date month being processed and the average calendar days in audit review — typically much longer than the standard analyst queue.
Where an employer asks the Certifying Officer to reconsider a denial. FLAG reports the month of requests currently being worked, which signals the appeal-stage backlog.
FLAG publishes a recent average processing time in calendar days for each queue. It is a backward-looking average across many cases, not a promised decision date for any single PERM application.
How PERM works
The FLAG queues above only cover the DOL review stage. A full PERM runs through these steps in order — the priority date FLAG reports against is the ETA-9089 filing date.
Before filing, the employer requests a prevailing wage determination from the DOL National Prevailing Wage Center. The PWD sets the minimum wage the role must offer and runs in its own queue with separate processing times.
The employer runs required recruitment to test for available US workers. This recruitment window runs for a fixed period and is controlled by the employer, not DOL, before the PERM (ETA-9089) can be filed.
Once recruitment is complete the employer files Form ETA-9089. The case enters the DOL analyst-review queue, and its filing date becomes the priority date FLAG reports timing against.
DOL may certify, deny, or select the case for audit. Audited cases move to the slower audit-review queue. A certified PERM is the labor-certification step only — it is not an approved green card on its own.
PERM vs prevailing wage
The DOL FLAG times on this page cover the PERM (Form ETA-9089) queue only. A prevailing wage determination (Form ETA-9141) is a separate National Prevailing Wage Center queue that finishes before recruitment and before the PERM is filed, so its wait is not included in the priority-date month FLAG reports for Analyst Review or Audit Review — the two waits stack. As of the FLAG snapshot dated 9/30/2026, the prevailing wage queue was working PERM OEWS requests received in June 2026 — about 3 months behind that snapshot date.
Derived from the FLAG Prevailing Wage Determination Processing Times section dated 9/30/2026 — the whole-month gap between the receipt month being worked and FLAG's own "data as of" date. Retrieved Nov 8, 2026 from flag.dol.gov/processingtimes. Queue position across many requests, not a prediction for a specific ETA-9141.
Extracted context
These snippets are shown so you can see what public context the page is relying on.
Processing Times | Flag
PERM Prevailing Wages Wage Data Wage Data OFLC Wage Search OFLC Wage Data Downloads H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) H-2A Labor Supply State Determinations H-
Processing Times SUPPORT Support Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Video Tutorials User Guides Contact Related Links Related Links Find Your State Workforce Agency Foreign Labo
Processing Times Update Schedule PWD: Updated COB at the end of first work week of each month for data ending at 12am EST at the first of each month PERM: Updated COB at end o
Prevailing Wage Determination Processing Times (as of 9/30/2026) Processing Queue OEWS Receipt Date i Non-OEWS Receipt Date i CW-1 August 2026 -- H-1B June 2026 June 2026 H-2B
PERM June 2026 June 2026 Redeterminations H-1B: August 2026 PERM: July 2026 Center Director Reviews CW-1: September 2026 H-1B: July 2026 H-2B: June 2026 PERM: July
prevailing wage determination for the H-2B program at least 60 days before the date the determination is needed
processing times indicate the average processing time for all prevailing wage applications received in a specific month
processing time for each request may vary from the average depending on the material facts and individual circumstances of the case
PERM Receipt Month ii Remaining Requests ii April 2026 8 May 2026 36 June 2026 3,532 July 2026 15,959 August 2026 14,980 September 2026 14,519 [i] The above dates r
prevailing wage determination for the H-2B program at least 60 days before the date the determination is needed
PERM Processing Times (as of 10/31/2026) Determinations Reporting Period Calendar Days Last 30 Days 300 Analyst Review Last 90 Days 315 Last 18
PERM workload
Processing Times (updated as of close of business 10/31/2026) I
Processing Times (measured in calendar days) Processing Activity Total Cases Current Status Average Number of Days to Process Complete 2 Cases (cumulative over th
Processing Times (updated as of close of business 11/03/2026) Applications Received for Requested Date of Need from January 1, 2026 through September 30, 2026  
Processing Times (updated as of close of business 10/31/2026) STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 Month of Receipt Total Cases Submitted 6 & Positions Requeste
Keep researching
These views keep the official-source trail close to the employer PERM and LCA records the timing context applies to.
LCA and PERM rows are filing signals, not USCIS approvals, green-card approvals, legal advice, or outcome predictions.
FAQ
DOL does not publish a single PERM processing time. The FLAG processing-times page reports the priority-date month the Office of Foreign Labor Certification is currently working through in each queue (Analyst Review and the slower Audit Review) plus the recent average number of calendar days cases spent in each queue. Those averages are backward-looking across many cases, so treat them as general context rather than a date for any one application.
Analyst Review is the standard PERM queue every ETA-9089 enters. Audit Review is a separate, slower track for cases DOL pulls for audit. FLAG shows a different priority-date month and a longer average processing time for Audit Review, which is why an audited case usually waits considerably longer than a case that clears analyst review.
No. They are two different DOL queues with two separate FLAG sections. The prevailing wage determination (Form ETA-9141) is issued by the National Prevailing Wage Center before recruitment and before the PERM is filed, and FLAG reports it as a receipt-date month in its own Prevailing Wage Determination Processing Times section. The times on this page cover Form ETA-9089 only, measured against the priority date. Current prevailing wage queue positions, including the OEWS and non-OEWS receipt months, are on the prevailing wage processing times page.
No. The PERM priority date FLAG measures against is the date the ETA-9089 was filed, which is after the prevailing wage determination has already been issued and after recruitment is complete. A full labor-certification timeline therefore stacks the prevailing wage queue and the employer-controlled recruitment window on top of the Analyst Review or Audit Review month shown here. DOL publishes no combined end-to-end figure, so the two queues have to be read separately.
It is imported from the public DOL FLAG (Foreign Labor Application Gateway) processing-times page at flag.dol.gov/processingtimes, the same source DOL OFLC uses to publish PERM, prevailing-wage, and H-2 timing context. The page shows when the snapshot was fetched so you can judge how current it is.
For PERM, the priority date is the date the ETA-9089 was filed with DOL. FLAG lists the priority-date month each queue is currently processing — for example, if Analyst Review shows an earlier month than your filing date, your case is likely still ahead in the queue. It indicates queue position, not a guaranteed decision date.
No. FLAG processing times are official general context. They should not be read as a prediction for a specific PERM case.
The importer stores fetched timestamps and checksums so Railway jobs can refresh the page periodically and show source freshness.
No. A DOL-certified LCA is not the same as USCIS H-1B petition approval. It is an official labor-condition filing signal that should be interpreted with that limit.
No. PERM certification is one step in an employment-based green card process. It does not mean a green card, I-140 petition, or adjustment of status was approved.
No. Official filing history can show recent activity, roles, worksites, and wage signals, but it does not guarantee future sponsorship or predict legal outcomes.