How to Check Your PERM Status

Written by the Ellis Porter content team. This article has not been reviewed by an attorney. It is general information, not legal advice.

Waiting on a PERM case is hard, partly because so little of it is visible to you. Your employer files it, its attorney gets the notices, and months can pass in silence. The good news is that you can check more than most people realize. Here is how.

The first rule: PERM is a Department of Labor (DOL) process, so you check it with DOL, not with USCIS. Your green card case only reaches USCIS later, when your employer files the Form I-140.

Can you check PERM status online?

Yes. DOL runs a free, public Case Status Search on its Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) website. You do not need a FLAG account. You need the case number.

Here is how it works, based on the search page itself:

1. Go to the Case Status Search on flag.dol.gov.
2. Enter up to 30 case numbers, one per line, in the format the page shows (for example, G-100-12345-123456).
3. Complete the automated verification, which DOL uses to prevent abuse.
4. Select Search.

The page says the search covers PERM applications (Form ETA-9089) and prevailing wage requests (Forms ETA-9141 and 9141C), along with DOL’s temporary labor programs. If a case number does not return a result, the page asks you to check the format and directs you to the FLAG Technical Help Desk.

One limit: the search covers cases filed in FLAG. DOL moved PERM filing to FLAG in June 2023, and it decommissioned its older public PERM system in December 2024. If your case was filed before June 2023, ask your employer’s attorney for its status.

Where do you get your PERM case number?

From your employer or its attorney. According to the FLAG FAQ, DOL emails the confirmation with the assigned case number to the employer’s point of contact and to the attorney or agent on the application, not to you. The FAQ also says a newly submitted case usually shows as pre-submitted for under fifteen minutes before its permanent case number is assigned.

Two numbers are worth asking for:

Asking for these is a normal request, and a good employer or law firm will share them. Our PERM case number guide explains what the number does and does not tell you.

How do you tell how long you still have to wait?

Use DOL’s processing times page. It shows which filing month each queue is working on. On October 23, 2026, it showed:

• Prevailing wage requests for PERM: June 2026 receipts (data as of 9/30/2026).
• PERM analyst review: January 2026 filings (data as of 10/05/2026).
• PERM audit review: December 2025 filings.
• Average analyst review time: 336 days, for cases decided in August 2026.

Then compare it to your own filing month:

• Your filing month is later than the month shown: you are waiting your turn. Nothing is wrong.
• Your filing month is earlier than the month shown, and nothing has changed: ask your employer’s attorney whether DOL issued an audit letter or another request, since those notices go to the employer and its attorney.

Our PERM processing time guide explains each queue in more detail.

What does each PERM outcome mean?

Under 20 CFR 656.17(b), a filed PERM application is screened and then certified, denied, or selected for audit. Here is what each means for you:

A certified case has a deadline attached. Under 20 CFR 656.30(b), the certification expires if it is not filed with an I-140 within 180 calendar days. DOL’s PERM page notes that when a case is filed online and certified, the authorized user can immediately get a copy of the certification. Our guide to what an I-140 is covers the next stage.

For denials, 20 CFR 656.24(e) says the decision must state the reasons and that the employer has 30 days to request review. A new application can also be filed.

Why might nothing seem to be moving?

Most of the time, silence just means the queue. DOL review now takes close to a year on average, and there are no interim updates while your case waits.

There are a few other reasons a case can sit:

• An audit letter was issued, and the employer is gathering records.
• DOL asked for more information or ordered supervised recruitment under 20 CFR 656.20(d).
• Your employer is one of the eight companies named in the October 8, 2026 announcement: Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini. The administration said DOL would not process their pending PERM applications. As of reporting through October 21, 2026, no end date or reinstatement process had been announced. Our article on the PERM suspension explains what affected employees can consider.

For everyone else, PERM processing continues as normal.

What about your priority date?

Your priority date does not wait for DOL. Under 8 CFR 204.5(d), the priority date for a PERM-based petition is the date DOL accepted the labor certification for processing. So the long review does not move you back in line. Once the I-140 is approved, that date is what you compare against the Visa Bulletin.

What to ask your employer’s attorney

Because DOL’s notices go to the employer and its attorney, a short list of questions gets you most of what you need:

1. What are the prevailing wage and PERM case numbers?
2. On what date was the PERM application filed? That date is your priority date if the I-140 is later approved.
3. Has DOL sent an audit letter or any request for information?
4. When the PERM is certified, when do you plan to file the I-140, and will you use premium processing?
5. Is there anything I should avoid doing, such as a job change or long travel, while the case is pending?

These are ordinary questions, and asking them does not make you a difficult employee. Clear answers also help you plan your own life around the wait.

After certification: tracking the I-140 with USCIS

Once PERM is certified, tracking moves to USCIS. Your employer files Form I-140, and USCIS issues a receipt notice with its own receipt number, which you can check on the USCIS case status tool. According to USCIS’s EB-3 page, for labor certifications filed in FLAG on or after June 1, 2023, the I-140 is filed with the approved and signed Form ETA-9089 Final Determination.

If your employer requests premium processing, USCIS guarantees action on an EB-2 or EB-3 I-140 within 15 business days, and the fee is $2,965 under the current USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055, edition 10/16/26). Our I-140 processing time guide covers that stage.

When to ask for help

If your case is well past DOL’s current queue, if you received a notice you do not understand, or if you are deciding whether to change jobs before certification, it helps to have someone read the full picture. Our guide to changing jobs during PERM covers that last question.

A licensed Ellis Porter attorney can review where your case stands and explain what comes next. Learn more about our employment-based immigration practice.

This article is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. DOL procedures, tools, and processing times change. Confirm current details on flag.dol.gov and consult a licensed immigration attorney about your case.

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