PERM → I-140 → Green Card: The Full Chain

The full employer-sponsored chain: prevailing wage, recruitment, PERM, I-140, the bulletin wait, and the final green card step.

The chain, end to end

Most employer-sponsored green cards follow the same chain: prevailing wage determination, recruitment, PERM labor certification, immigrant petition (I-140), the Visa Bulletin wait, then adjustment of status or consular processing.

Each stage has its own clock, and they run one after another — not in parallel. That is why the full journey often takes years even before any visa-number wait.

Stage 1: prevailing wage and recruitment

The employer first asks the Department of Labor for a prevailing wage for the job. Current DOL queues are shown on our processing pages. Then the employer must recruit US workers for the role — advertising, job postings, and a notice at the worksite — and show no able, willing, qualified US worker was found.

Recruitment rules are strict and technical: a missed posting or wrong ad can force the whole stage to restart.

Stage 2: PERM labor certification

The employer files the PERM application with DOL. DOL's current analyst review queue and average times are on our PERM page. DOL may approve, deny, or audit the case — an audit adds months while DOL requests evidence about the recruitment.

When PERM is certified, the priority date is fixed: it is the PERM filing date. That date is your place in the EB-2 or EB-3 line.

Stage 3: I-140 petition

The employer files Form I-140 with USCIS, proving the job offer, the worker's qualifications, and the employer's ability to pay the offered wage from the priority date onward.

Premium processing is available at 15 business days. I-140 approval does not give a green card — it reserves your place while you wait for a visa number.

Stage 4: the wait, then the green card

When your priority date becomes current in the Visa Bulletin, you file Form I-485 (if inside the US) or process at a consulate. The final step includes biometrics, background checks, and sometimes an interview.

One safety valve: if your I-485 has been pending 180 days or more, you may change to a same-or-similar job without losing the case, under INA 204(j).