Six-year processing-time trend
| Year | Typical time | Completed cases studied |
|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | 193 days | 106,039 |
| FY2022 | 189 days | 102,189 |
| FY2023 | 287 days | 113,919 |
| FY2024 | 389 days | 111,170 |
| FY2025 | 482 days | 144,543 |
| FY2026 | 501 days | 59,093 |
PERM processing times
See where DOL is processing PERM cases now.
DOL dataJul 17, 2026Checked Aug 6, 2026
Analyst Review
July 2025
Compare this with your PERM filing month.
Audit Review
December 2025
Use your PERM filing month while the case is in Audit Review.
Reconsideration
March 2026
Compare this with the reconsideration request month.
PERM total processing time
Explore historical PERM total processing time from DOL receipt to decision, based on completed cases in official disclosure data.
Typical completed time
482 days
Half finished in this range
463–497 days
Slower 10%
Over 510 days
Completed cases studied
144,543
Typical completed time by month
| Month | Typical time |
|---|---|
| 2024-10-01 | 434 days |
| 2024-11-01 | 460 days |
| 2024-12-01 | 459 days |
| 2025-01-01 | 488 days |
| 2025-02-01 | 495 days |
| 2025-03-01 | 496 days |
| 2025-04-01 | 497 days |
| 2025-05-01 | 497 days |
| 2025-06-01 | 492 days |
| 2025-07-01 | 479 days |
| 2025-08-01 | 467 days |
| 2025-09-01 | 457 days |
Official case records studied each year
| Year | Raw rows |
|---|---|
| FY2021 | 108,264 |
| FY2022 | 104,600 |
| FY2023 | 116,427 |
| FY2024 | 114,550 |
| FY2025 | 147,056 |
| FY2026 | 60,096 |
Current DOL queue data
- Official as of
- Jul 17, 2026
- Source checked
- Aug 6, 2026
Historical completed cases
- Coverage
- Oct 1, 2007 – Mar 31, 2026
- Usable cases
- 1,250,836 · completed cases only
Current queue data comes from U.S. Department of Labor FLAG Processing Times. Historical completed-case data comes from official OFLC disclosure data. This independent website interprets the official data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Labor.
How the numbers are built
PERM total processing time runs from the DOL receipt date to the decision date. Annual and monthly percentiles are recalculated from exact processing-day histograms; stored medians are never averaged.
What these numbers cannot tell you
Public queue dates and completed-case history are program-level context. They are not pending inventory, cases ahead of an application, an approval probability, or a personal decision-date forecast.
Data quality funnel
Raw records
1,716,989Valid durations
1,280,484Used in statistics
1,250,836Only completed records with usable receipt and decision dates are included. Small cohorts are omitted.
Use PERM processing time for your case
You now know the current queue and the historical wait. Choose your stage to turn those two signals into the dates to check, the person to contact, and the next practical action—without pretending public data can predict your decision date.
- 01Planning
- 02PWD
- 03Recruitment
- 04Analyst Review
- 05Audit
- 06Reconsideration
- 07Certified
- 08Denied / Withdrawn
Planning
Map the full path before treating one published number as your total timeline.
What the public data can tell you
PWD, recruitment, PERM review, and possible post-decision steps use different clocks. Current queue data does not add them into one guaranteed completion date.
Do this next
- 1Identify who owns each filing step.
- 2Collect the dates you already know.
- 3Build a stage-by-stage planning timeline.
Read the numbers correctly
What PERM processing time means—and what it does not
A useful answer joins three different views: DOL’s current queue, the time completed cases actually took, and the facts of your own filing. Keeping those views separate makes the result easier to understand and harder to misuse.
Read the current queue as a workload marker, the published average as an agency-reported duration, and historical percentiles as results from completed records. If they point in different directions, do not average them or choose the most favorable number. Record each source date and label, then use the evidence that matches the question you are trying to answer.
What does the PERM wait mean?
It is the time connected with review of an employer’s permanent labor certification application. On this page, the current queue month answers which filing month DOL says it is reviewing. It does not show your place in line, confirm your case status, or include every step before and after the ETA-9089 filing. PWD, recruitment, an audit, reconsideration, and later USCIS filings use different clocks.
What to do next
Confirm your exact filing date and current stage. Compare the filing month only with the queue for the review path that actually applies: Analyst Review, Audit Review, or reconsideration. Then check the official update date, because an older snapshot may no longer describe today's agency workload. Use the Timeline tool to map PWD, recruitment, filing, review, and a possible I-140 step, or use the Case Status guide to understand a label shown by the official system. Save copies of official notices and record the dates on which responses were sent. Revisit the official queue after a new DOL publication, but treat any movement as program context rather than a personal countdown. For any response deadline, eligibility question, or legal choice, rely on the notice and qualified counsel rather than a public timing comparison.
Questions about the wait
Plain answers about current queues, historical waits, calculations, and case planning.
Does the current queue show my case status?
No. The current queue shows the filing month DOL says it is processing for a review path. It cannot open your case, count the cases ahead of it, or determine its status. Use the separate official FLAG case-status search for a case-specific status.
Can this data predict my decision date?
No. The current queue, the published agency average, and historical completed cases describe different evidence. They help with planning, but none becomes a guaranteed personal decision date or approval forecast.
Which date should I use for reconsideration processing time?
Use the reconsideration request date when comparing with the reconsideration queue. The original PERM filing date remains useful background, but substituting it would mix two different review clocks.
How current is the queue shown here?
The current section displays the official data date and links to the DOL source. Data older than 45 days is marked stale. After the hard fallback threshold, the current comparison is unavailable rather than silently replaced with a guessed value.
Do you store the case details I use for planning?
The basic planning tools do not require an account and do not save entered dates as a case profile. Browser timeline storage is optional, local to that browser, and clearable. Result explanations are generated from fixed rules in the application.