PERM Labor Certification
The first step in the employment-based green card process, the employer must prove to the Department of Labor that no qualified U.S. worker is available for the position.
PERM Labor Certification is a term from U.S. employment-based immigration — typically a step, document, or filing in the H-1B (or related visa) process. The definition here is the practical worker-facing meaning, anchored in the DOL and USCIS processes that produce the underlying data this site uses. Understanding PERM Labor Certification is part of reading H-1B sponsorship offers and the publicly-disclosed filing data defensibly. Each technical term in the H-1B process carries specific implications for workers — eligibility, timing, employer obligations, portability — and the worker-relevant interpretation often differs from the technical legal definition.
Each employer page on H1BTracker surfaces the specific PERM Labor Certification-relevant data for that company, so the general definition here translates into the concrete numbers on the per-company pages.
How It Works
PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) requires the employer to conduct a recruitment campaign to test the U.S. labor market. This includes placing job ads in newspapers, the employer's website, job boards, and other venues for at least 30 days. If no qualified U.S. worker applies and is rejected for lawful, job-related reasons, the employer files the PERM application with DOL. Processing times vary but typically take 6-18 months. PERM must be filed for the specific position, if the worker changes jobs, the new employer must start a new PERM process. Audit rates run about 30%, and audited cases take significantly longer.
Related Terms
- Green Card (Permanent Residency), Lawful permanent resident status in the United States, the ultimate goal for most H-1B workers, granting the right to live and work permanently without employer sponsorship.
- Prevailing Wage, The average wage paid to workers in a similar occupation in the same geographic area, employers must pay H-1B workers at least this amount to prevent undercutting U.S. wages.
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About This Definition
This definition is part of the H1BVisaTracker H-1B Visa Glossary, 26 terms explaining H-1B sponsorship, work visas, and employment-based immigration in the United States. Written for international workers, employers, and immigration professionals.