PERM Report: November 2025

The November 2025 PERM labor certification data reflects a robust approval environment, with 8,892 total cases processed and an 88.4% overall certification rate. Of the 8,892 cases, 7,863 received certification, 240 were denied, and 789 were withdrawn. The relatively low denial rate (2.7%) compared to withdrawals (8.9%) suggests that most unsuccessful cases were pulled before adjudication, likely due to procedural issues or employer decisions to abandon the petition rather than face denial. The average processing time of 478 days—roughly 15-16 months—remains a significant bottleneck for EB-3 applicants, underscoring the importance of early filing. Geographically, California dominates case volume with 1,483 filings but posts a below-average certification rate of 84.4%, potentially reflecting higher scrutiny in tech-heavy labor markets or more complex job requirements. By contrast, Georgia stands out with a 95.2% certification rate across 604 cases, the highest among top states, driven in part by large food processing employers. Texas and New York show solid mid-range performance near the overall average. Occupationally, the data reveals a sharp wage divergence: Software Developers lead by volume at 1,868 cases with a $140,955 average wage, while food processing and fast food workers represent significant filing activity at wages below $30,000, highlighting the dual nature of EB-3 labor demand across both high-skill and essential worker categories. Industry-level data shows that Administrative Services (92.4%), Finance & Insurance (92.2%), and Manufacturing (91.9%) all outperform the overall average, while the Information sector lags at 83.3%—the lowest among top industries. This gap in the Information sector likely reflects more aggressive DOL scrutiny of technology roles, where prevailing wage compliance and recruitment documentation requirements are more rigorous. The strong employer-level certification rates from food processing companies like JCG Foods (100%) and Consolidated Catfish Producers (99.3%) confirm that high-volume, lower-wage EB-3 filings in agricultural processing tend to face fewer compliance challenges.