State trend · VA

PERM PERM — Permanent Employment Certification (ETA-9089) Employer's DOL filing to sponsor a specific worker for an employment-based green card after testing the U.S. job marketTemporary visa (often F-1 student → H-1B)→●PERM — employer asks DOL to certify the job (you are here)→I-140 — employer petitions USCIS→Priority-date wait (varies by country of birth — years to decades)→Green card (I-485 / consular)DOL certifies paperwork — it does not issue green cards; per-position; certified ≠ granted. NEVER "work permit"Common path — some categories skip PERM (EB-1, NIW); timelines vary widely by country of birth. Educational info, not legal advice.Official source ↗ Filing Trends in Virginia

PERM PERM — Permanent Employment Certification (ETA-9089) Employer's DOL filing to sponsor a specific worker for an employment-based green card after testing the U.S. job marketTemporary visa (often F-1 student → H-1B)→●PERM — employer asks DOL to certify the job (you are here)→I-140 — employer petitions USCIS→Priority-date wait (varies by country of birth — years to decades)→Green card (I-485 / consular)DOL certifies paperwork — it does not issue green cards; per-position; certified ≠ granted. NEVER "work permit"Common path — some categories skip PERM (EB-1, NIW); timelines vary widely by country of birth. Educational info, not legal advice.Official source ↗ (green-card) labor-certification filing volume and median offered wage for worksites in Virginia, by U.S. fiscal year. Aggregate counts from public DOL records.

Total PERM PERM — Permanent Employment Certification (ETA-9089) Employer's DOL filing to sponsor a specific worker for an employment-based green card after testing the U.S. job marketTemporary visa (often F-1 student → H-1B)→●PERM — employer asks DOL to certify the job (you are here)→I-140 — employer petitions USCIS→Priority-date wait (varies by country of birth — years to decades)→Green card (I-485 / consular)DOL certifies paperwork — it does not issue green cards; per-position; certified ≠ granted. NEVER "work permit"Common path — some categories skip PERM (EB-1, NIW); timelines vary widely by country of birth. Educational info, not legal advice.Official source ↗ Filings

52,809

Employers (2026)

1,082

Median Wage (2026)

$113,322