Current PERM processing time
The DOL is adjudicating November 2025 filings — about 56% of the way through that month, clearing roughly 5.6% of a filing month per week. Decisions are averaging 396 days from filing (394 days for certified cases). In practical terms: a non-audited case filed today should expect a decision in roughly 13–14 months at the current pace.
Why your case may take more or less time
- Filing-month order. The DOL processes PERM in rough filing-month order, so your wait is mostly the distance between your month and the frontier — details in how the DOL processes PERM.
- Audits. Audited cases leave the main queue and typically add many months — see audits and RFIs.
- Volume surges. Heavy filing months (often Q4) take longer to clear than light ones.
- DOL throughput. Staffing and budget changes move the weekly pace; the dashboard’s trend shows whether the pace is accelerating or slowing.
Reading it for your own case
Find your filing month, compare it to the frontier above, and divide the gap by the weekly pace — or let the estimate tool do exactly that from your filing date or case number. To see where the queue stands the day anything changes, Case Watch emails you on status movement. Understanding your current label? See what each case status means.