Your PERM DOL status is the label the Department of Labor attaches to your labor certification application to show where it sits in the review pipeline, and you can look it up for free on the FLAG portal at flag.dol.gov. The status will read as one of a handful of designations — Analyst Review, Request for Information, Audit Review, Supervised Recruitment, Withdrawn, Certified, or Denied — and each one tells you something different about your timeline and what, if anything, you need to do next.
How to Look Up Your Status
The Case Status Search tool on the FLAG portal is public and requires no login. You can enter up to 30 case numbers at once, and the results show the current status and the date of the last agency action.
You need your ETA case number to search. It appears on your ETA Form 9089 and follows the format G-100-12345-123456, a letter prefix followed by groups of digits separated by hyphens.1Foreign Labor Application Gateway. Case Status Search If you don’t have the case number, the DOL also publishes quarterly disclosure files in Excel through its Performance Data page, searchable by employer name, but those files only cover cases with a final determination — anything still in process won’t appear.2U.S. Department of Labor. Performance Data
What Each Status Means
Analyst Review
This is where every application starts. A certifying officer screens the submission and either certifies it, denies it, or pulls it for audit.3eCFR. 20 CFR 656.17 – Basic Labor Certification Process The officer is checking whether the job requirements, offered wage, and recruitment efforts meet federal regulations. Expect to sit here a long time. As of early 2026, the average Analyst Review takes about 503 calendar days from the filing date.4Foreign Labor Application Gateway. Processing Times
Request for Information
An RFI means the DOL wants a specific clarification before moving forward — usually a narrow factual question about a job duty or a travel requirement. Unlike an audit, an RFI generally does not require the employer to submit the entire recruitment file. The procedural rules around RFIs are less clearly defined than those for audits, and appeal rights following an RFI-based denial carry some uncertainty. Respond promptly and with precise documentation.
Audit Review
An Audit Review status means the DOL has flagged the case for a deeper compliance check. Some audits are random quality-control selections; others are triggered by specific features of the application. Once the audit letter goes out, the employer has 30 days to submit the required documentation. The certifying officer can grant one extension of up to 30 additional days.5eCFR. 20 CFR 656.20 – Audit Procedures
Common triggers include:
- Foreign language requirements, which raise questions about whether the requirement screens out U.S. workers.
- A family relationship between the employer and the foreign worker.
- The foreign worker holding an ownership stake in the sponsoring company.
- Unusual job requirements — combinations of unrelated duties, positions demanding no experience, or jobs that don’t require at least a bachelor’s degree.
- Recent layoffs in the same occupation or location.
The employer must produce evidence of every recruitment step: copies of advertisements, internal postings, and a recruitment report documenting who applied and why each U.S. applicant was rejected. Rejection reasons must be lawful and job-related. Missing the deadline or submitting incomplete documentation can result in denial.
Supervised Recruitment
This goes a step beyond an audit. The employer must submit its entire recruitment plan for government approval before placing any advertisements or conducting interviews.6eCFR. 20 CFR 656.21 – Supervised Recruitment The DOL then reviews every resume received and every reason given for rejecting a U.S. applicant. The status significantly extends processing because no recruitment action can happen without prior authorization from the certifying officer.
Withdrawn
A Withdrawn status means the employer voluntarily pulled the application before a final decision. This often happens when the position is filled internally, business needs shift during the wait, or the foreign worker leaves the company. Withdrawal ends that case, but the employer can file a new application later.
Certified
A Certified status means the DOL approved the labor certification. Now a clock starts. The employer has 180 days to file Form I-140 with USCIS, attaching the original certified ETA Form 9089. If that window closes, the status flips to Certified-Expired and the certification can no longer support an immigration petition.7U.S. Department of Labor. Permanent Labor Certification The deadline is firm, and it is a surprisingly common place where cases fall apart. The I-140 package should be ready to file before certification even arrives.
One detail that matters more than most people realize: the date the DOL received your PERM application becomes your priority date for green card processing. Your priority date determines your place in line when visa numbers are limited, and for applicants from countries with heavy backlogs, that date can affect your wait by years. A timely I-140 filing protects it.
Denied
A Denied status means the DOL found the application did not satisfy regulatory requirements. Denials commonly stem from problems with the recruitment process, failure to show that no qualified U.S. workers were available, wage offers below the prevailing wage, or errors in the application itself. A denial is not necessarily the end. There are two paths forward, both with tight deadlines.
Challenging a Denial
Request for Reconsideration
The employer can ask the certifying officer to reconsider within 30 days of the denial. The request is limited to documentation the DOL already received, or documentation that existed at the time of filing and was maintained to support the application but that the employer had no prior opportunity to present. New evidence created after filing is not allowed. Reconsideration will not be granted when the deficiency came from ignoring a system prompt or direct instruction.8eCFR. 20 CFR 656.24 – Labor Certification Determinations
Appeal to BALCA
If reconsideration fails, or if the employer skips it, a request for review can go to the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals. The deadline is 30 days from the date of the denial or the date reconsideration is denied. Miss that window and the denial becomes the final decision of the Secretary of Labor.8eCFR. 20 CFR 656.24 – Labor Certification Determinations BALCA proceedings involve briefing by both sides and review by administrative law judges. A new PERM application for the same worker in the same occupation cannot be filed while a BALCA appeal is pending.
What the Timelines Look Like in 2026
PERM processing has never been fast. As of February 2026, the average Analyst Review case takes roughly 503 calendar days, about 16 to 17 months from filing to decision.4Foreign Labor Application Gateway. Processing Times Cases pulled for audit move into a separate queue with its own backlog and take considerably longer. Supervised Recruitment adds still more time because each recruitment step needs prior approval.
PERM is only one stage in a longer green card process, and the total timeline from prevailing wage request through certification, I-140, and adjustment of status routinely runs beyond three years. For applicants from countries with per-country visa backlogs, the wait can be far longer.
Who Pays for the PERM Process
If you are the foreign worker, the answer is: not you. Federal regulations require the employer to pay all costs related to the PERM labor certification, including attorney fees. The employer cannot ask you to reimburse any of these expenses through direct payment, wage deductions, or a payback agreement that requires repayment if you leave the company.9eCFR. 20 CFR 656.12 – PERM Labor Certification Cost Requirements If the same attorney represents both the employer and the worker at the PERM stage, the employer still bears the cost. This prohibition applies specifically to the labor certification stage; the employer is not necessarily required to cover costs for later stages like the I-140 or adjustment of status, though many do. An employer asking you to pay for any part of the PERM process is violating federal law, and you have grounds to push back.