PERM and green card guides

Guides to each step of an employment-based green card. Every guide shows the latest government numbers for its step.

• How to check your PERM case status

  You can look up a PERM case on DOL's public Case Status Search with just the case number, no login needed. See what pending, certified, denied and withdrawn mean, and who to contact if a case seems stuck.

• PERM timeline: every step from prevailing wage to green card

  Six queues stand between starting PERM and holding a green card. See each one, from the prevailing wage request to the I-485, and how far behind DOL's queues are today.

• DOL processing times: PERM and prevailing wage

  The filing month DOL is working on for PERM analyst review, audits, reconsideration and prevailing wage requests, and how far each queue moved since DOL's last update.

• EB-2 NIW: who qualifies, how it works and how long it takes

  The EB-2 National Interest Waiver lets you file for a green card without an employer or PERM. Who qualifies under the Dhanasar test, how the petition works, and how long USCIS takes with I-140s now.

• The visa bulletin explained: priority dates and final action dates

  This month's EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 cutoff dates, and how your priority date and the two bulletin charts decide when you can file your I-485.