PERM Report: July 2025
Monthly analysis of PERM labor certification cases
Total Cases
14,998
-366 vs prev
Certification Rate
94.4%
+0.8% vs prev
Avg Processing
475 days
-11 days vs prev
Audit Rate
N/A
Case Outcomes
Summary
The July 2025 PERM labor certification data reflects a robust and highly efficient adjudication cycle, with 14,998 total cases processed and an overall certification rate of 94.4%. This figure signals that employers filing PERM applications are generally well-prepared, likely due to experienced immigration counsel and better understanding of DOL compliance requirements. The denial rate of just 2.1% (313 cases) is notably low, while the 3.5% withdrawal rate (521 cases) may indicate cases voluntarily pulled before a denial was issued — a common strategic move when applicants identify deficiencies mid-process. Processing times remain a critical pain point for EB-3 applicants. The average of 475 days (nearly 16 months) to receive a PERM determination represents a significant bottleneck, particularly for workers from high-demand countries like India and China who already face multi-decade backlogs in the EB-3 preference category. The data reveals a stark occupational divide: tech-sector roles like Software Developers (avg. $144,927) and Computer Systems Analysts (avg. $146,011) dominate in volume and compensation, while food-processing occupations such as Meat Cutters ($26,495) and Production Helpers ($5,094) appear in significant numbers, reflecting EB-3 'Other Workers' pathway utilization by agricultural and manufacturing employers. Geographically, California leads all states with 2,599 filings but posts the lowest certification rate among top states at 92.4%, possibly reflecting more complex case profiles or heightened scrutiny in a high-wage market. Georgia, buoyed by concentrated food-processing employer activity (FPL Food, JCG Foods), achieves the highest certification rate at 97.4% with 1,696 filings — a counter-intuitive result explained largely by the homogeneous, high-volume nature of unskilled labor certifications which tend to sail through DOL review when properly documented.
Key Insights
- • The 94.4% overall certification rate is encouraging for prospective PERM filers, but the 475-day average processing time means applicants should file as early as possible — a PERM approval is just the starting gate before I-140 and consular/adjustment processing begins.
- • Georgia's 97.4% certification rate, driven by large food-processing employers like FPL Food LLC (482 filings, 99.8% approval) and JCG Foods (210 filings, 100% approval), shows that high-volume unskilled labor filings from experienced employers can achieve near-perfect approval rates.
- • Software Developers account for 3,010 PERM filings — the single largest occupation — at an average prevailing wage of $144,927. EB-3 applicants in this category face long waits regardless of PERM approval due to per-country backlogs in the skilled worker category.
- • The appearance of 'Helpers--Production Workers' with an average wage of $5,094 is anomalous and likely reflects part-time or piece-rate positions rather than full-time annual salaries — applicants in this category should carefully verify that their offered wage meets DOL prevailing wage requirements for their specific locality.
- • California's lower-than-average certification rate (92.4% vs. 94.4% national) may reflect greater case complexity, higher prevailing wage floors, or more competitive local labor markets where the DOL requires more rigorous recruitment documentation.
- • The top employers list is dominated by food-processing companies (FPL Food, Consolidated Catfish Producers, JCG Foods, Stoughton Trailers), suggesting that the EB-3 'unskilled' or 'Other Workers' subcategory is a meaningful pathway for immigrants entering U.S. manufacturing and agricultural processing industries.
- • With 521 withdrawals representing 3.5% of cases, applicants and employers should be aware that strategic withdrawal before denial — while protecting the employer's record — still resets the PERM clock entirely, adding months or years to an already lengthy process.
Top States
Top Industries
Top Occupations
Industry Analysis
Source: DOL PERM Disclosure Data
Report generated: May 20, 2026