PERM stands for Program Electronic Review Management and replaces the earlier regular and Reduction in Recruitment(RIR) methods for getting labor certification. All labor certifications filed on after March 28, 2005 must be filed under PERM.

A labor certification application filed under PERM is expected to take only an estimated 45 to 60 days to adjudicate, compared to months or several years under former process.

The new system requires employers to conduct recruitment before filing their applications. State Workforce Agencies (SWAs), formerly known as Employment Security Agency(SESA) will provide prevailing wage determinations to employers, but will no longer receive or process applications as they do under the current system. Employers will be required to place a job order with the SWA, but the job order will be processed the same as any other job order. Employers will have the option of filing applications electronically, using web-based forms and instructions, or by mail.

A pending case with former process could be withdrawn and refiled without losing the priority date as long as no job order has been placed with the State Workforce Agency(SWA) and the employer, alien worker, job title, job duties, job requirements and work location are identical.