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Usually, not without restarting part of the employment-based green-card process. A pending PERM labor certification belongs to the sponsoring employer and its specific job. A pending Form I-140 does not, by itself, create AC21 job portability. The usual portability protection becomes available only when an employment-based Form I-485 has been pending for at least 180 days, the I-140 is approved, and the new job is in the same or a similar occupational classification. The portability request is made with Form I-485 Supplement J.

Your ability to move can also depend on visa availability, your immigrant category, nonimmigrant status, the timing of any withdrawal, and the exact duties of both jobs. Treat the rules below as a framework, not a substitute for advice from a licensed employment-immigration attorney.

At a glance: what changes at each stage

The stage of your case determines whether the existing employer-sponsored filings can support a move. The following table separates an employment decision (you may leave a job) from an immigration benefit (the pending case continues to support permanent residence).

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Case stage Can you change employers without relying on AC21 portability? Typical immigration consequence
PERM pending, no I-140 You can leave as an employment matter, but the pending PERM does not transfer. The new employer generally starts a new PERM and later files its own I-140.
I-140 pending, no qualifying I-485 portability A move does not preserve the pending petition as an AC21 port. The new employer normally needs its own PERM/I-140 strategy, unless a category-specific rule applies.
Approved I-140 and I-485 pending fewer than 180 days The 180-day portability protection is not yet available. A change can jeopardize the original employment basis; withdrawal and revocation timing matters.
Approved I-140 and I-485 pending 180 days or more Potentially yes, if the new position is in the same or a similar occupational classification and the other requirements are met. File Supplement J and keep evidence showing a bona fide, continuing offer and job similarity.

“Pending” means more than having a receipt notice. For portability, USCIS must be able to approve the underlying I-140, and the I-485 must meet the statutory and policy requirements.

If your PERM is still pending

The labor certification is tied to one employer and one job

PERM is the U.S. Department of Labor’s permanent labor-certification process. The sponsoring employer files for a particular job opportunity, at a specified worksite or worksites, with defined requirements and a prevailing-wage framework. The application is not a worker-owned benefit that follows you to another company.

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If you move to a different employer while the first PERM is pending, the first employer’s application generally remains with that employer. It cannot simply be assigned to the new company. The new employer normally must conduct its own recruitment and file a new PERM before it can file an employment-based I-140 that relies on labor certification.

What happens to the old application

Leaving does not automatically transfer, accelerate, or preserve the old PERM for your new job. The original employer may continue, withdraw, or allow the application to expire, but those choices do not create a portable case for you. A new employer should analyze its own job description, minimum requirements, work location, wage, recruitment history, and filing timing before beginning a replacement process.

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Practical planning before you resign

  • Ask for a copy of the PERM-related job description and the offered wage, if the employer will provide them.
  • Save your PERM filing or audit correspondence and any information that will help a lawyer compare the old and new positions.
  • Confirm whether your current nonimmigrant status permits work for the new employer and whether a separate status filing is needed.
  • Have the prospective employer evaluate visa availability and its expected PERM and I-140 timeline before you set a start date.

A PERM move can be possible as a career decision while still requiring a fresh immigration strategy. Do not assume that an approved or pending recruitment effort can be reused for a different corporate entity or materially different position.

If your I-140 is pending

Filing an I-140 is not the 180-day portability event

Form I-140 is the employment-based immigrant petition. A receipt or a pending adjudication does not itself give you AC21 portability. USCIS states that when a worker requests an INA 204(j) job change while the I-140 is pending, USCIS must approve the I-140 before it can favorably determine the portability request.

“If you request to change jobs or employers under INA 204(j) while your Form I-140 is pending, we must approve your Form I-140 before we may approve your portability request.”

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USCIS, Form I-140 filing procedures, accessed 2026

That rule is why a worker who changes employers during a pending I-140 usually cannot carry the petition to the new company as a port. The new employer typically needs to determine whether it must start PERM again and file a separate I-140, or whether another statutory route is available for the specific category.

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When an I-485 was filed with the I-140

Some workers file Form I-485 concurrently with an I-140 when an immigrant visa is immediately available. Even then, the portability analysis turns on an approved I-140 and the I-485’s pending period. The relevant clock is generally the time the employment-based I-485 has been pending, not the date the I-140 was filed.

USCIS’s published guidance puts the approval condition first: an unapproved I-140 cannot be treated as a portable approved petition merely because an I-485 has been submitted. If the I-140 is later denied, the adjustment case may lose its employment basis, subject to any separate remedy or category-specific rule.

The 180-day rule: which date starts the clock?

Count from the qualifying I-485 filing

The commonly cited 180 days generally begin when the qualifying employment-based I-485 has been properly filed and remains pending. They do not ordinarily begin on the I-140 filing date, the PERM filing date, the PERM certification date, or the I-140 approval date.

For example, an I-140 filed on January 10 and an I-485 filed on March 20 produce different clocks. For AC21 portability, the relevant measurement is ordinarily the pending period of the I-485, so March 20 is the date that matters for the 180-day analysis. A receipt notice and the case-status history are important evidence of when the adjustment application became pending.

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What must be true when 180 days have elapsed

  • The employment-based I-140 must be approved or otherwise approvable under the applicable rules.
  • The I-485 must have remained pending for at least 180 days.
  • The new, bona fide job offer must be in the same or a similar occupational classification as the sponsored position.
  • The worker must provide the required portability information, generally through Form I-485 Supplement J.
  • The underlying category, visa availability, admissibility, and adjustment requirements must still be satisfied.

Reaching day 180 does not automatically approve a job change. It creates a statutory portability framework that still requires evidence and USCIS review.

Approved I-140, but the I-485 has been pending fewer than 180 days

An approved I-140 is a major milestone, but it is not the same as 180-day portability. Before the I-485 reaches 180 days, changing jobs can place the original adjustment basis at risk. The result may depend on whether the sponsoring employer withdraws the offer, when it withdraws, whether USCIS has acted, and whether the petition is subject to revocation for a substantive reason.

Do not treat the approval notice as permission to start with an unrelated employer. Until the portability conditions are met, obtain case-specific advice before accepting a move, changing duties, or asking the original employer to withdraw the petition.

After 180 days: using AC21 portability

What portability does

AC21 portability under INA 204(j) can let a qualifying adjustment applicant continue toward permanent residence with a new employer rather than remaining with the original sponsor. The new position must be a genuine offer and must fall in the same or a similar occupational classification as the position described in the approved I-140.

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What portability does not do

  • It does not make a pending, unapproved I-140 portable.
  • It does not eliminate the need for an approved I-140 and a qualifying pending I-485.
  • It does not allow an unlimited change in occupation, seniority, duties, or work arrangement.
  • It does not cure an unavailable immigrant visa number, inadmissibility issue, or other adjustment defect.
  • It does not guarantee that USCIS will accept the comparison without supporting evidence.

How to request it

The worker and prospective employer generally complete Form I-485 Supplement J, Confirmation of Bona Fide Job Offer or Request for Job Portability Under INA Section 204(j). The form documents the continuing offer, the employer’s information, the job title and duties, and the basis for portability. USCIS may request additional evidence if the form does not establish that the positions are sufficiently similar.

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How USCIS evaluates “same or similar” work

There is no single title that automatically qualifies. USCIS compares the actual occupational content of the original and new positions. A persuasive submission explains the comparison rather than relying on matching titles.

Evidence to compare

  • Primary duties: Identify the percentage of time, responsibilities, tools, and deliverables associated with each role.
  • Occupation and SOC information: Provide the applicable Standard Occupational Classification information and explain any difference in codes or occupational family.
  • Required skills and education: Compare technical skills, licenses, certifications, degrees, and experience requirements.
  • Work context: Note the industry, products, customers, team structure, supervision, worksite, and travel expectations.
  • Wages and level: Explain salary, grade, seniority, and why a change in compensation or level does or does not reflect a different occupation.
  • Employer statements: Obtain detailed letters describing the offered permanent position and its expected duties.

The burden is on the applicant to provide evidence supporting the comparison. A promotion, change in employer, or different title does not automatically defeat portability, but a wholesale change from one occupation to another can.

Supplement J: a practical filing sequence

  1. Confirm the dates. Gather the I-485 receipt notice and calculate whether at least 180 days have elapsed. Use the receipt and USCIS case history rather than an I-140 filing date.
  2. Confirm the I-140 status. Keep the approval notice and verify that the petition has not been denied or substantively revoked.
  3. Compare the jobs. Place the original and new job descriptions, SOC information, minimum requirements, wages, and work locations side by side. Mark similarities and explain material differences.
  4. Obtain the employer’s offer. The new employer should provide a permanent, bona fide offer and complete its portion of Supplement J accurately.
  5. Complete Supplement J. The worker and prospective employer sign the form and identify that the request is based on INA 204(j) portability.
  6. Submit the evidence. Follow the current USCIS filing instructions for the delivery method and include the I-485 receipt, I-140 approval, job letters, detailed duties, and comparison evidence when appropriate.
  7. Keep a case file. Retain the signed form, delivery confirmation, copies of every exhibit, payroll or onboarding records, and any USCIS request for evidence.
  8. Respond consistently. If USCIS asks about the old and new positions, answer with the same duties, dates, wages, and SOC information used in the portability filing.

USCIS filing addresses, editions, fees, and form instructions can change. Use the current Supplement J instructions at the time of filing and have counsel review a fact pattern that includes multiple employers, mergers, layoffs, or a change in immigrant category.

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Withdrawal, revocation, and keeping your priority date

Portability and priority-date retention are related but different protections. USCIS guidance says an approved employment-based I-140 generally remains approved for priority-date purposes when the petition is withdrawn 180 days or more after approval, or when the associated I-485 has been pending 180 days or more, unless USCIS revokes approval on substantive grounds. Beneficiaries generally retain the priority date in that situation.

That protection does not convert a pending, unapproved I-140 into a portable petition. Nor does it prevent USCIS from revoking an approval for fraud, willful misrepresentation, material error, or another substantive ground identified in the governing rules. Keep the approval notice, withdrawal correspondence, and any USCIS notices so the dates can be established.

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Categories, transfers, and limits

Which categories commonly use AC21 portability

The rule is principally used by qualifying employment-based adjustment applicants in the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories. Category-specific treatment can apply to extraordinary-ability cases and national-interest-waiver cases because those petitions may not depend on a permanent employer offer in the same way. The USCIS Policy Manual should be checked for the exact category and petition type.

Changing the underlying employment category

Moving an I-485 to a different employment-based basis can change the portability analysis and may reset the relevant clock. A transfer is not the same as changing employers within the same approved basis. Before requesting a transfer, determine which petition will support the adjustment, whether the priority date can be retained, and when any new portability period would begin.

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Nonimmigrant status remains separate

AC21 portability concerns the immigrant adjustment case; it does not by itself authorize employment under a nonimmigrant classification. You may still need a timely status transfer, an amended petition, an employment-authorization document, or another lawful work arrangement. A gap in work authorization can create consequences even when the immigrant case remains viable.

Documents to preserve before making a move

Create a secure case file before giving notice or accepting materially different duties. Include:

  • PERM filing, certification, audit, and recruitment records available to you;
  • I-140 receipt and approval notices, including the priority date and classification;
  • I-485 receipt notice, biometrics or interview notices, and case-status history;
  • Original and proposed job descriptions, organizational information, and SOC details;
  • Prevailing-wage or offered-wage evidence and compensation records;
  • Employment offer letters, Supplement J drafts, signatures, and delivery proof;
  • Pay statements and employment-verification letters showing the dates and duties actually performed;
  • Employer withdrawal notices, merger documents, layoff communications, or USCIS requests for evidence.

These records help an attorney and USCIS reconstruct the timeline and test whether the two jobs are genuinely similar.

A decision checklist before you accept another offer

  1. Is your PERM merely pending, or has an I-140 already been filed?
  2. Is the I-140 approved, and can you document the approval notice?
  3. When exactly did the employment-based I-485 become pending?
  4. Will the move occur before or after the 180-day I-485 point?
  5. Are the original and new duties, SOC information, skills, education, wages, and work context comparable?
  6. Will the new employer sign a bona fide permanent offer on Supplement J?
  7. Will the move require a separate nonimmigrant petition or work-authorization step?
  8. Could an employer withdrawal, corporate transaction, category transfer, or visa-number change alter the analysis?

If any answer is uncertain, pause before resigning and obtain individualized advice from a licensed employment-immigration attorney. Small differences in dates, category, job duties, or petition history can change whether portability is available.

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Official guidance behind the key rules

The USCIS Policy Manual explains that when an approved Form I-140 supports an adjustment application that has remained unadjudicated for 180 days or more, the approved petition generally remains valid unless it is later substantively revoked. USCIS’s Form I-140 filing procedures state that an I-140 must be approved before a portability request made while it was pending can be favorably determined. The U.S. Department of Labor explains that, after certification, the labor-certification application is submitted to USCIS with Form I-140. Those statements describe why PERM, I-140, and I-485 are separate milestones rather than one transferable filing.

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