How Employer Name Initials Influence PERM Processing Order

Most people think PERM cases are handled only by date, but the employer name initials can also affect the processing order or queue position at the Department of Labor (DOL). When two or more PERM applications share the same submission date, the DOL’s system reportedly uses the first letters of the employer’s name as a secondary sorting tool.

In practice, this means an employer whose name starts with “A” may see a decision before an employer whose name starts with “T,” even when both filed the PERM on the same day.

Understanding this unspoken alphabetical pattern helps both employers and workers set more realistic expectations for the PERM journey. The official rule that truly matters for your immigration status is still the filing date of Form ETA-9089, which gives the case its priority date. But the day‑to‑day waiting experience can feel different because of how the queue is ordered behind the scenes.

Big Picture: How Your Case Enters the DOL PERM Queue

When an employer submits Form ETA-9089 to the DOL, that submission date officially places the case into the national PERM queue and creates the priority date. This priority date later becomes very important for immigrant visa and green card steps, but inside the DOL’s own system, something extra appears to happen.

According to third‑party PERM trackers and immigration attorney reports, the DOL’s internal system does not keep the queue strictly in the order of filing dates alone. Instead, it reportedly sorts cases:

• First by filing date
• Then by employer name initials among cases filed on the same date

So if hundreds of employers file PERM applications on March 10, the system will place those employers in alphabetical order inside that day’s block.

Tools that follow DOL processing patterns say their prediction algorithm “determines your queue position based on submission date and employer name initial.” VisaVerge.com reports that many users see this alphabetical effect when they compare real processing times among friends, coworkers, or online communities.

Step 1: Planning Your PERM Timeline With the Alphabet in Mind

Before the employer files the PERM, you’ll likely discuss how long the process may take. While nobody outside the DOL can see the exact queue, you can still use basic planning ideas:

• Accept that the submission date comes first. The day the employer sends in Form ETA-9089 is the core time marker for both the queue and the priority date.
• Recognize the employer name effect as a tiebreaker. If your employer has initials late in the alphabet, you might experience a slightly longer wait compared with someone whose employer filed the same day but has earlier initials.
• Avoid comparing unfairly with others. Someone who filed the same week as you but works for a company with a different name may move faster or slower for reasons unrelated to case quality.

At this stage, there is no action you can take to change the employer’s name or initials for the sake of the PERM queue. The value here is in setting expectations so you don’t panic if another worker’s case, filed on the exact same date, is approved first.

Step 2: Filing Form ETA‑9089 and Locking in the Priority Date

Once the employer is ready, they file Form ETA-9089 with the DOL. This form is the center of the PERM process. The official priority date is the date the form is filed, not the date it is prepared or signed.

You can review general information about PERM and the ETA-9089 form directly on the U.S. Department of Labor website at the PERM Foreign Labor Certification page. This is the main official source for forms and instructions.

At this stage:

• The DOL records the submission date and places your case into the national queue.
• The system groups cases by filing date, forming daily batches.
• Within each batch, employer name initials reportedly decide the fine order in which cases move to an officer’s desk.

From your side, the most important practical result is that your priority date is now fixed. Even if a company with a “B” name is served before your “S” company, you both share the same official PERM priority date if you filed on the same day.

Step 3: Waiting in Line – How Queue Position Affects Your Experience

Once the PERM is filed, you enter a waiting period. Here is where processing order or queue position really matters for your peace of mind.

Because the DOL’s queue is not purely by date, two workers whose employers filed on March 10 may see different timelines:

• Employer Alpha, Inc. (initial “A”) files on March 10
• Zenith Tech LLC (initial “Z”) files on the same day

If tracking tools are correct, Alpha’s PERM may leave the queue earlier because “A” comes before “Z”. Both cases still count as March 10 priority dates, but their real‑life wait time can vary.

During this step:

• You don’t have to submit anything new to the DOL. The case simply waits in line.
• Keep in close touch with your employer and attorney. They can monitor DOL processing trends and compare them with your filing date.
• Avoid panic if another worker’s case moves faster. Their employer name initials may have given them a better spot within the same date group.

Importantly, there is no direct impact on approval or denial based on employer initials. The initials only matter for the order in which an officer picks up the file, not how the officer reviews it.

Step 4: Using Third‑Party Trackers Without Misreading Them

Many people watch PERM progress through online trackers that estimate queue position. According to these tools, their algorithm uses both submission date and employer name initials to guess when a case may be reviewed.

When using these tools:

• Treat the date estimates as rough guesses, not official promises.
• Remember there is no published DOL or USCIS rule that confirms this alphabetical system — it’s based on real‑world observation, not a written policy.
• Use the predictions to plan emotionally and financially, but don’t make life‑changing decisions based solely on them.

Example use case:
– If your tracker suggests that cases with your employer’s initials and filing date are two months away from review, that might help you decide whether to delay a trip, plan a housing move, or talk with HR about contract extensions.
– But the DOL can always speed up or slow down, and cases can still move out of the expected sequence.

Step 5: What Happens When Someone With the Same Date Gets Approved First

One of the hardest emotional moments in the PERM process is when a friend, coworker, or online contact with the same submission date has already received an approval while your case is still pending.

How to read that situation:

• Their employer name may start with an earlier letter, giving them a better place in the processing order or queue position for that date.
• Their case may have moved through the system in a slightly different internal path.
• This does not mean your case is weaker or likely to be denied.

In most cases, the difference comes down to queue order, not case quality. The DOL has not shared internal rules for small variations, but the alphabetical pattern described by lawyers and trackers explains much of the uneven timing workers see.

Important: Seeing someone else’s faster approval does not reflect on the strength of your PERM. It usually reflects queue position.

Step 6: After Adjudication – What the Alphabet Did and Did Not Change

Once the DOL finishes reviewing your PERM, the officer issues an approval or denial. At this point, the effect of employer initials ends. Key facts:

• Priority date stays the same. It still matches your original PERM submission date.
• Final decision is based on case content, not initials. The DOL checks whether the application meets PERM rules; employer name initials have no role in that analysis.
• Later green card steps use the priority date only. When you move on to immigrant visa or adjustment stages, what matters is your official priority date, not where you sat in the PERM queue.

So even if another worker’s “A‑company” case finished weeks before your “Z‑company” case, you may still stand side‑by‑side in later visa lines if you share the same PERM filing date.

Practical Tips for Employers and Workers

While you can’t change the alphabet, you can reduce stress by being informed:

• Know that initials affect timing, not outcome. Queue position may speed up or slow down your wait, but it doesn’t change how the DOL judges the case.
• Focus on a clean, accurate ETA-9089. Since the filing date drives the whole process, making sure the form is properly prepared before submission is more important than racing the clock by a few hours.
• Use official sources first, trackers second. Rely on the DOL’s own website, then use tools and VisaVerge.com analysis only to give you extra context.
• Prepare emotionally for uneven timing. Expect that others with similar dates may hear back earlier or later than you.

For many families, the waiting period is the most stressful part of PERM. Knowing that employer name initials and submission date work together to shape the processing order or queue position can at least explain why timing sometimes feels unfair, even when the system is operating as designed.