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PERM is a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) labor-certification process that an employer may need to complete before sponsoring a foreign worker for certain employment-based green cards. It is not a green card, an immigration status, or approval of permanent residence. For workers from India, the process can involve two distinct waits: DOL review of the PERM application and a separate wait for an immigrant visa number.

What is the PERM Green Card Programme?

PERM stands for Program Electronic Review Management. DOL describes permanent labor certification as a process that allows an employer to hire a foreign worker for a permanent job in the United States. It is an employer-led step in some employment-based immigration cases—not a benefit a worker receives directly and not the final green-card decision. DOL’s PERM overview explains the certification process.

PERM is also different from the H-1B labor-condition application. H-1B is a temporary specialty-occupation program with its own DOL filing and employer attestations; it is not the PERM stage of a green-card case. DOL’s H-1B overview describes that separate process.

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How does PERM fit into the green-card process?

  1. Employer prepares the PERM case. Before filing, the employer obtains a prevailing wage determination for the permanent, full-time job opportunity and completes the applicable recruitment and notice requirements.
  2. Employer files the labor-certification application. The date DOL receives the application is the filing date used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State as the priority date.
  3. Further immigration steps follow. PERM approval alone does not grant permanent residence. The case proceeds through a later immigrant petition and visa process; the worker may ultimately receive an immigrant visa abroad or apply to adjust status in the United States if eligible and a visa number is available.

The DOL labor-certification stage and the later visa-number stage answer different questions: whether the employer has completed the labor-certification requirement, and whether an immigrant visa number is available for the worker’s case.

How long is PERM processing taking?

On its processing page updated October 5, 2026, DOL listed PERM analyst review and audit review in the December 2025 filing queue. DOL reported an average of 336 calendar days for analyst review in August 2026. That is a dated average, not a service guarantee or a prediction for an individual case; DOL says actual processing times vary with each case’s facts and circumstances. Check the DOL FLAG processing-time page for the latest snapshot.

Why can India-born applicants face another wait after PERM?

PERM review is only one part of the timeline. Employment-based immigrant visas are subject to category and chargeability limits, and the State Department’s Visa Bulletin publishes monthly cutoffs. The relevant category and an applicant’s chargeability area matter; a person’s country of birth generally determines chargeability, subject to exceptions.

In the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, India’s EB-2 final action date was November 1, 2013, and its EB-3 final action date was January 1, 2014. The dates-for-filing chart listed January 15, 2015 for both categories. A final action date is the cutoff before which a priority date must fall for a visa number to be authorized. Whether an applicant in the United States may use the filing chart for adjustment of status depends on USCIS’s monthly determination. Bulletin dates can move forward or backward, so they are not promised personal timelines. See the October 2026 Visa Bulletin for the month’s rules and charts.

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The State Department also reported that all FY 2026 EB-2 immigrant visas for applicants chargeable to India had been issued by May 22, 2026. It said annual limits reset on October 1, 2026. That notice described exhaustion for that fiscal year, not a permanent suspension; the October 2026 bulletin provides the subsequent month’s cutoffs. Read the State Department’s FY 2026 India EB-2 notice.

Is there a green-card shock for Infosys, TCS, Wipro and other IT firms?

The available official information establishes system-wide PERM processing delays and visa-number constraints, including India-specific cutoffs. It does not establish that a new PERM rule caused a shock at Infosys, TCS, Wipro, or another named IT company. Nor does it establish company-specific filing totals, layoffs, or consequences for employees. Those claims require evidence about the individual employers; they cannot be inferred from DOL queue data or the Visa Bulletin alone.

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EB-2 and EB-3: which dates apply?

EB-2 and EB-3 are distinct employment-based preference categories. The applicable classification depends on the case and its eligibility—not simply on an employer’s industry or a job title. For applicants chargeable to India, the October 2026 bulletin showed:

Category Final action date Date for filing
EB-2, India November 1, 2013 January 15, 2015
EB-3, India January 1, 2014 January 15, 2015

These are month-specific bulletin cutoffs, not estimates of how long a particular worker will wait. The final action date governs when a visa number can be authorized; use of the filing chart for adjustment of status is subject to USCIS’s monthly decision. An individual’s category, priority date, chargeability, and immigration circumstances all matter.

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