PERM Labor Certification

PERM stands for Program Electronic Review Management. It is the word most often used to refer to the labor certification process for employers seeking permanent green card status for an employee. PERM is an electronic filing and tracking system used by the U.S. Department of Labor to process labor certification applications on their dedicated web site. The U.S. Department of Labor requires that employers applying for permanent residency status for a worker who is working in the U.S. on a temporary work visa submit to a process that ensures that a U.S. worker is not equally qualified to hold the position.

Prior to submitting an application to sponsor a foreign worker for green card status, the sponsoring employer must obtain an approved labor certification request from the Department of Labor. Along with certifying that the job cannot be filled by a qualified, willing, and able American worker, the PERM certification must also demonstrate that hiring the foreign worker will not hurt wages or working conditions typically afforded American workers in the same economic marketplace. The law is in place to encourage the hiring of qualified American workers, and discourage the hiring of foreign workers below the prevailing wage and benefits of the area.