PERM prevailing wage processing time

Before a PERM is filed, DOL sets the job's prevailing wage (Form ETA-9141). This is DOL's queue for those requests, from its FLAG page as of Sep 30, 2026.

Source: flag.dol.gov/processingtimes. DOL notes it may still be completing requests filed before the month it posts.

When will DOL issue mine?

Enter the date your employer or attorney filed the prevailing wage request.

Requests still waiting

PERM prevailing wage requests DOL had not yet decided on Sep 30, 2026, by the month they were filed.

How fast the queue moves

Over the last 90 days DOL's posted month moved 0.65 receipt months per calendar month; over the last year, 0.99. Above 1, the wait is getting shorter.

Every FLAG update since November 2023

How the estimate works

It measures how far your request date is behind the month DOL posts, then projects that month forward at its 90-day and one-year paces, with 30 days added at each end. Tested against every FLAG update since November 2023: one month out, 18 of 20 windows held the update that actually reached the month; two months, 16 of 19; three months, 12 of 18; four months, 7 of 17. It covers the OEWS queue.

Questions

How long does a PERM prevailing wage determination take?

As of Sep 30, 2026, DOL was issuing PERM prevailing wage determinations for requests filed in June 2026: a wait of about 3.5 months for requests using the OEWS wage source.

What do OEWS and non-OEWS mean?

OEWS requests take the wage from DOL's Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. Non-OEWS requests rely on another source, such as an employer-provided wage survey, and FLAG lists them as a separate queue.

What comes after the prevailing wage determination?

The employer uses the determination in the PERM application (Form ETA-9089), after the required recruitment. The PERM then waits in DOL's analyst review queue.

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