If your employer is sponsoring you for a green card, PERM is the first step and usually the longest. This is the latest update on processing times as of July 2026, with current data from the Department of Labor and the July 2026 Visa Bulletin.
What is PERM?
PERM stands for Program Electronic Review Management. For most employer-sponsored EB-2 and EB-3 green cards, it is the first required step. Some categories — including EB-1, EB-2 National Interest Waivers, and Schedule A occupations — do not require PERM. Before your employer can file an immigrant visa petition on your behalf, the Department of Labor requires them to demonstrate that no qualified U.S. worker was available for the role.
The PERM process has three distinct stages. Your employer handles all of them with the help of immigration counsel. Your job is mostly to wait, stay informed, and make sure nothing changes in your employment situation without being reviewed by your attorney first.
- 1Prevailing Wage Determination (PWD). Your employer files a request with the DOL to determine the minimum salary required for your position, based on your job title, location, and experience level. Most employers wait until the PWD is issued before beginning recruitment, because the wage and job terms used in the ads must align with the approved determination.
- 2Recruitment. Your employer runs a required set of job advertisements to show that no willing and qualified U.S. worker applied for the role. This stage is strictly regulated and cannot be shortened.
- 3ETA Form 9089. If no qualified U.S. applicant was found, your employer files the PERM application itself. The date this form is filed becomes your priority date, which determines your place in the green card line.
How long does it take?
The end-to-end timeline for a standard PERM case without an audit is currently averaging 18 to 22 months, based on July 2026 DOL data. This is an improvement from the 22 to 26 months reported earlier in 2026, driven by faster ETA Form 9089 processing by DOL analysts.
Here is how that timeline breaks down across the three stages:
| Stage | Current Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Step 1: Prevailing Wage Determination | Approx. 3 months |
| Step 2: Recruitment (minimum, strictly regulated) | Minimum 60 days, often 2 to 3 months |
| Step 3: ETA Form 9089 (Analyst Review) | 403 days avg (~13.5 months) |
| Step 3: ETA Form 9089 (if audited) | 290 days avg — separate audit review queue |
Source: flag.dol.gov/processingtimes — Average days as of June 2026
Step 1: Prevailing Wage Determination
Before recruiting can begin, your employer must get a prevailing wage determination from the DOL. The DOL uses this to set the minimum salary for your position based on your job title, worksite location, and the experience level the role requires.
| PWD Type | Date Currently Being Processed | Est. Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (OEWS Data) | March 2026 requests | Approx. 3 months |
| Private Survey (Non-OEWS) | March 2026 requests | Approx. 3 months |
| Center Director Reviews | February 2026 requests | Longer — case by case |
Source: flag.dol.gov/processingtimes — as of June 8, 2026
Step 2: Recruitment
Once the PWD is approved, your employer must run a defined set of job advertisements to document that no qualified U.S. worker is available for the position. This stage is fixed by regulation and cannot be shortened, regardless of how quickly your case moves.
Mandatory recruitment activities include:
- An advertisement with the state workforce agency, running for 30 days
- A major regional newspaper advertisement on two different Sundays
- A job posting at the worksite for ten consecutive business days
- Three additional recruitment activities from a prescribed list (for professional occupations) — such as job fairs, LinkedIn, on-campus recruiting, or professional association postings
Step 3: ETA Form 9089
If no qualified U.S. worker was found during recruitment, your employer files ETA Form 9089 online through the DOL's FLAG system. The date this form is filed is your priority date, which is the most important date in your green card process.
Current processing status
| Processing Queue | Cases Currently Being Reviewed | Average Days |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst Review (standard) | Cases filed in June 2025 | 403 days (~13.5 months) |
| Audit Review | Cases filed in December 2025 | 290 days (~9.7 months) |
| Reconsideration Request to CO | Cases filed in February 2026 | Varies |
Source: flag.dol.gov/processingtimes — as of June 30, 2026
Possible outcomes
- Approval. Your case is certified and your employer can move forward with the I-140 petition.
- Denial. The DOL denies the application. Your attorney can request reconsideration or appeal, which extends the timeline further.
- Audit. The DOL selects your case for additional review and sends an audit letter requesting documentation. Audited cases enter a separate review queue. The DOL is currently reviewing audit cases filed in December 2025, with audit review averaging 290 days once in that queue.
Pending applications by month
The table below shows the number of PERM prevailing wage applications still pending as of June 8, 2026, broken down by the month they were filed. The sharp drop-off between February and January 2026 reflects the DOL catching up on older cases.
| PWD Filed (Receipt Month) | Applications Still Pending |
|---|---|
| November 2025 | 4 |
| December 2025 | 32 |
| January 2026 | 163 |
| February 2026 | 273 |
| March 2026 | 7,739 |
| April 2026 | 16,070 |
| May 2026 | 18,524 |
Source: flag.dol.gov/processingtimes — as of June 8, 2026
If your prevailing wage request was filed in March 2026 or later, you are in the larger backlog and should expect the full 3-month processing window before moving to recruitment.
Visa Bulletin — July 2026
Once your PERM is approved, your employer files the I-140 immigrant petition. But to file the final step (the I-485 adjustment of status, or an immigrant visa application from abroad), your priority date must be current in the State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin.
Your priority date is the date your ETA Form 9089 was filed. Your country of birth, not your citizenship, determines which row of the chart applies to you.
Final Action Dates — July 2026
The Final Action Date is the cutoff for when you can actually complete the green card process. Your priority date must be earlier than the date listed for your category and country of birth.
| Category | Rest of World | India | China |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 (Priority Workers) | Current | October 15, 2022 Retrogressed | June 1, 2023 |
| EB-2 (Advanced Degree) | Current | Unavailable No visas | September 1, 2021 |
| EB-3 (Skilled Workers) | August 1, 2024 | January 1, 2014 | December 22, 2021 |
Source: U.S. Department of State — July 2026 Visa Bulletin
Dates for Filing — July 2026
The Dates for Filing chart shows an earlier cutoff date that USCIS may allow you to use to file the I-485 (adjustment of status) before your Final Action Date is current. USCIS announces each month whether this chart can be used. Check uscis.gov/visabulletininfo to confirm which chart applies for the current month.
| Category | Rest of World | India | China |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-2 (Advanced Degree) | Current | January 15, 2015 | January 1, 2022 |
| EB-3 (Skilled Workers) | Current | January 15, 2015 | January 1, 2022 |
Source: U.S. Department of State — July 2026 Visa Bulletin
How to check your status
- 1Check current PERM processing times. The DOL updates the FLAG processing times page at the end of the first work week of each month. You can check which receipt months are currently being processed at flag.dol.gov/processingtimes.
- 2Check your ETA 9089 filing status. If your attorney has filed Form 9089, you can check its status through the DOL's Permanent Case Management System at plc.doleta.gov.
- 3Monitor the Visa Bulletin. The State Department typically releases the next month's Visa Bulletin in the middle of each month. Once your PERM is approved and your I-140 is filed, your attorney should be tracking your priority date against the published cutoffs each month.
Frequently asked questions
Analyst Review is the standard processing path. A DOL analyst reviews your ETA 9089 application and, if everything is in order, certifies it. Audit Review happens when the DOL selects your case for additional scrutiny, usually requesting documentation about the recruitment process or the job requirements. You cannot control whether your case is audited, and audits add significant time. The DOL is currently reviewing audit cases from December 2025, with an average review time of 290 days.
Not directly. The DOL processes cases in the order they are received, regardless of the position or wage level. However, highly specialized roles may trigger expert analyst review on the prevailing wage determination, which can add a year or more. Your attorney will know whether your position is likely to require that additional step.
A PERM application is tied to a specific job, employer, worksite, and salary. If any of those change materially before the PERM is certified, it may need to be withdrawn and refiled, which means losing your place in the queue and your priority date. Title changes, location changes, and salary adjustments should all be reviewed by immigration counsel before they take effect.
When the State Department marks a category as "unavailable," it means the annual visa number allocation for that country and category has been exhausted for that month. No India-born employees in the EB-2 preference category can receive final approval for a green card during July 2026, regardless of their priority date. This is a monthly determination and can change. The Final Action Date chart for India EB-2 will either show a date or remain unavailable depending on visa number availability each month.
The earlier, the better. For H-1B employees from India or China, the green card backlog means that the sooner your priority date is established, the better your position in the queue. For employees from backlogged countries, immigration counsel typically recommends starting the PERM process in year two or three of the H-1B, well before the six-year maximum is reached. For employees from countries with current priority dates, earlier filing still protects against future retrogression.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Processing times change frequently. Consult qualified immigration counsel before making decisions about your green card sponsorship.
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