A PERM labor certification issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) allows an employer to hire a foreign worker to work permanently in the United States.  Before the U.S. employer can submit an immigration petition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the employer must obtain an approved labor certification request from the DOL.  By approving a labor cert application the DOL certifies to the USCIS that there is alack of qualified U.S. workers in your job category and that employment of the alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers.

The process of application for employment based permanent resident status is composed of three stages:

1. Labor Certification application which is processed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
2. Immigrant Visa Petition which is processed by the USCIS.
3. Adjustment of Status application which is also processed by the USCIS or Consular Processing.