Prevailing wage determination processing time
The Department of Labor's National Prevailing Wage Center posts which month's requests it is working on. We record that every month to show how far behind the queue is.
| Program | OEWS wage requests | Other wage sources |
|---|---|---|
| PERM | August 2026 | July 2026 |
| H-1B | July 2026 | July 2026 |
| H-2B | September 2026 | — |
| CW-1 | September 2026 | — |
PWD queue lag since 2020
Requests still pending by month received
| Received | PERM | H-1B | H-2B | CW-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 12 | — | — | — |
| June 2026 | 30 | 2 | — | 1 |
| July 2026 | 1,346 | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| August 2026 | 14,925 | 191 | 1 | 3 |
| September 2026 | 14,400 | 200 | 218 | 24 |
| October 2026 | 13,179 | 162 | 3,239 | 106 |
Frequently asked questions
How long does a prevailing wage determination take?
As of Oct 31, 2026, DOL was issuing PERM prevailing wage determinations for requests filed in August 2026 (OEWS wage source) and July 2026 (other wage sources) — roughly 3 months behind. H-1B requests: July 2026.
Why does the PWD wait matter for green cards?
Employers must get a prevailing wage determination before they can file the PERM labor certification, so a slow PWD queue delays the whole employment-based green card process. See PERM processing time for the next step.
Figures are copied from the official files without changes; derived numbers (changes, backlog estimates) are explained on the methodology page. Not legal advice.