See how long the Department of Labor is taking to decide PERM applications and prevailing wage requests, then enter your filing date for an estimate. Figures come straight from DOL and update each month.
As of October 31, 2026. Source: DOL FLAG processing times. PERM figures are average calendar days to an analyst-review decision; wage figures are the filing month DOL is working on.
The submission date on your ETA-9089. Your attorney or employer has it.
1. Prevailing wage determination. Your employer asks DOL for the minimum wage for the job on Form ETA-9141. DOL works through requests in filing order; the month it's on is shown above.
2. Recruitment. With the wage set, the employer advertises the job to test the US labor market, including a 30-day state job order and newspaper ads. The required recruitment has to finish at least 30 days before the PERM is filed.
3. PERM application. The employer files Form ETA-9089 in DOL's FLAG system. The filing date becomes your priority date. An analyst reviews it; DOL's current average for that review is shown above.
4. Audit, if any. DOL can audit a case and ask for recruitment records. Audited cases take longer, and DOL doesn't publish an average for them.
5. Certification, then the I-140. A certified PERM is valid for 180 days. Your employer files the I-140 with USCIS in that window, and that case gets a receipt number you can track.
DOL reports PERM times as the average number of days from filing to decision for cases decided in the last 30, 90 and 180 days. A falling 30-day number means DOL is speeding up. Because it's an average of cases already decided, it trails what's happening in the queue today.
For wage requests, DOL instead reports the filing month it is working on. If that month is three months before the report date, DOL is about three months behind, and a request filed today should be reached in about three months.
DOL tells your employer and attorney when PERM is decided, not you. Once the I-140 is filed, though, you get a USCIS receipt number, and from there CaseTracker checks your case every day and tells you the moment it moves. Check the Visa Bulletin to see when your priority date is current.
Immigration firms handling PERM and I-140s for many clients can track every USCIS case automatically and get team alerts on WhatsApp or email.
The next step after PERM, at USCIS.
When your priority date becomes current.
Real I-129 decision times, updated daily.
Track I-129, I-140 and I-485 for every client.
The earliest date you can apply for citizenship, plus physical presence and long-trip checks.
When your 90-day window to remove conditions opens, and your deadline.
The Department of Labor publishes the average number of calendar days from filing to a decision for cases that went through analyst review. This page shows the current 30, 90 and 180-day averages from DOL, updated monthly. Cases that get an audit take longer, and DOL doesn't publish an average for them.
DOL sends PERM decisions to the employer and its attorney through the FLAG system, not to the worker. Your employer or attorney can see the status in FLAG. DOL's FLAG site also has a public Case Status Search; ask your attorney for your case number to use it.
They're two separate DOL steps. First the employer requests a prevailing wage determination (Form ETA-9141), which sets the minimum wage for the job. After the wage is issued, the employer recruits, and only then files the PERM application itself (Form ETA-9089). DOL publishes a processing month for wage requests and an average number of days for PERM applications, so each has its own estimate here.
No. A certified PERM is the first step. Your employer then files Form I-140 with USCIS within 180 days of certification. When the I-140 is approved and your priority date is current in the Visa Bulletin, you can file for the green card (Form I-485) or go through consular processing.
For EB-2 and EB-3 cases that go through PERM, your priority date is the date DOL received the PERM application (ETA-9089). It decides your place in line in the Visa Bulletin once the I-140 is approved.
Some trackers use self-reported cases, which skew toward people who post online. This page uses only DOL's published averages and shows the calculation, so you can see exactly where the date comes from. Your own case can be faster or slower, especially if it's audited.
No. DOL doesn't offer premium processing or expedites for PERM. Premium processing is available later, for the I-140 at USCIS.
These calculators give estimates, not legal advice. Confirm dates, fees and eligibility with USCIS or an immigration attorney before you file.