Certified
The DOL approved the labor certification — the big green light. The employer has 180 days to file the I-140 immigrant petition with USCIS before the certification expires. If your case shows Certified, the PERM stage is done.
Analyst Review
The case is in the DOL’s working queue: either waiting for a Certifying Officer or actively being adjudicated. This is the normal state for every case that hasn’t been decided yet, and for cases in the current processing month it usually means a decision is close. See how fast the queue is moving.
On hold
The DOL has paused the case (for example while an employer is under review); it is not a decision. The case is still pending; it is just not moving for now. Since mid-2026 ImmiLane has seen many cases from a few large employers go on hold, which is why some filing months show a large On hold count.
Audit
The DOL asked for supporting documentation before deciding — recruitment records, the signed ETA-9089, prevailing wage evidence. Audits add months to the timeline because audited cases sit in a separate, slower queue. Our audit and RFI guide covers triggers and typical delays.
Denied
The application was rejected. The employer can request reconsideration or appeal to BALCA, or simply re-file — many denials are corrected on a second, cleaner filing. A PERM denial attaches to the application, not to you personally.
Withdrawn
The employer pulled the application before a decision — common after job changes, layoffs, or when a filing error is easier to re-file than to fix.
Where these numbers come from
The live counts above are the status mix for January 2026 filings in the DOL FLAG data ImmiLane tracks (updated Oct 31, 12:09 PM ET). The dashboard shows the same breakdown for every filing month, and this guide explains how to check where your own case stands.