DOL just published its FY2026 Q3 disclosure data — the official quarterly release covering every PERM decision through June 30, 2026. We've ingested all 112,550 new records. Two things stand out, and they point in opposite directions: processing is the fastest it's been in over a year, and denials have roughly doubled.
Here's what the data actually shows.
Processing Time Is Falling — Fast
Average processing time (filing to decision) has dropped every single month since January:
| Month | Avg. days to decision |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 500 |
| Feb 2026 | 495 |
| Mar 2026 | 490 |
| Apr 2026 | 477 |
| May 2026 | 438 |
| Jun 2026 | 393 |
That's a 21% drop in five months — from 500 days down to 393. If DOL holds this trajectory, cases decided in Q4 could see average processing times drop under a year for the first time since we've been tracking this data.
Decision Volume Is Accelerating Too
The speedup isn't just about individual cases moving faster — DOL is deciding more cases every month:
| Month | Decisions |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 12,844 |
| Feb 2026 | 14,329 |
| Mar 2026 | 14,926 |
| Apr 2026 | 15,003 |
| May 2026 | 17,811 |
| Jun 2026 | 19,787 |
That's +54% from January to June. Faster individual processing and higher monthly throughput at the same time is a genuinely good combination for anyone with a pending case.
The Catch: Denial Rates Have Roughly Doubled
Here's the part that matters if you're still waiting on a decision. Denial rates have climbed steadily since FY2025:
| Period | Denial rate |
|---|---|
| FY2025 Q1 | 1.2% |
| FY2025 Q2 | 1.1% |
| FY2025 Q3 | 1.5% |
| FY2025 Q4 | 2.5% |
| FY2026 Q1 | 3.5% |
| FY2026 Q2 | 3.6% |
| FY2026 Q3 | 4.0% |
Approval rates (Certified + Certified-Expired combined) are still strong — 89-93% depending on the quarter. But a case decided today is roughly 3x more likely to be denied than one decided at the start of FY2025. If your PERM application has any weak points — recruitment documentation, wage determination issues, ability-to-pay questions — this is not the environment to leave them unresolved.
Wages Keep Climbing
Average annual wage on certified PERM cases has risen every quarter for nearly two years:
| Period | Avg. annual wage |
|---|---|
| FY2025 Q1 | $107,814 |
| FY2025 Q2 | $111,152 |
| FY2025 Q3 | $111,162 |
| FY2025 Q4 | $109,284 |
| FY2026 Q1 | $110,275 |
| FY2026 Q2 | $112,419 |
| FY2026 Q3 | $113,816 |
Who's Filing — and Getting Approved
Among the highest-volume filers in the Apr-Jun window, approval rates were near-universal:
| Employer | Decisions | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Corporation | 1,074 | 97.2% |
| Management Health Systems, LLC | 595 | 99.3% |
| Labor Guys, LLC | 495 | 99.6% |
| Stoughton Trailers, LLC | 489 | 99.8% |
| Tesla, Inc. | 389 | 99.7% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 381 | 98.4% |
| Walmart Associates, Inc. | 381 | 99.7% |
Occupation mix is still dominated by tech — Software Developers alone accounted for 11,348 decisions in this window at an average wage of $145,461 — but PERM isn't only a tech story. Fast Food and Counter Workers (1,454 decisions, $31,404 avg.) and Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers (1,157 decisions, $32,017 avg.) show meaningful non-professional-occupation volume too.
What This Means for Your Case
Filed in 2024 or early 2025: Your cohort is almost certainly decided by now. If you're still pending, your case likely involves an RFI, audit, or appeal.
Filed mid-to-late 2025: You're in the fastest-moving part of the queue right now — the June acceleration above is happening to cases filed around this window.
Filed in 2026: Processing is faster than it's been in years, but so is scrutiny. Track your case's real-time status rather than guessing from the headline pace.
Data: OFLC PERM quarterly disclosure files (FY2024 – FY2026 Q3, 374,310 total cases). Track your own case's live status, queue position, and daily updates at permtrack.app/watchlist, or see the full filing-month backlog breakdown at permtrack.app/backlog.