PERM Backlog Reduction Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create an optional premium processing program for PERM labor certifications to speed employer-sponsored immigration approvals. It sets a 30-calendar-day target for Form ETA-9089 and charges an initial $1,200 fee for expedited processing.
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- Employers: Employers could pay to fast-track Form ETA-9089 processing to a 30-calendar-day target. The initial premium fee is $1,200 and will be adjusted for inflation starting in fiscal year 2028.
- Immigrant workers: Workers sponsored through PERM could get faster case decisions, which may shorten waits for later immigration steps.
- Department of Labor operations: Fees are deposited into a dedicated DOL PERM Premium Processing Fee Account and may fund administration, staffing, training, case adjudication, system upgrades, and fraud detection.
- Implementation and legal limits: The Secretary must issue rules, ensure fee funding also supports timely processing of ETA-9141, and run the program so it does not slow non‑premium cases. Limited exemptions from certain statutes may be used to speed implementation, with determinations by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State, or the Attorney General.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Faster PERM processing for employers
If enacted, employers would be able to pay for an optional expedited PERM filing for Form ETA-9089 (or any successor). The program would require the Department of Labor to decide expedited filings within 30 calendar days, or within 15 days after an employer provides requested information. The initial premium fee would be $1,200 per ETA-9089 filing. Beginning in fiscal year 2028, the fee would rise each year by the CPI-U change for the prior 12 months ending July 31, and any adjusted amount would be rounded to the nearest $10. Collected fees would go into a DOL PERM Premium Processing Fee Account and would pay for staff, training, adjudication, systems, fraud detection, and other program costs. The Secretary would have to run the program so it does not slow regular PERM processing and so fees support timely processing of Form ETA-9141 (or any successor).
Limited public notice exemptions for agencies
If enacted, the Secretary of Labor would issue rules to run the expedited PERM program. The bill would allow the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State, or the Attorney General to determine that actions implementing this Act need not follow the Administrative Procedure Act, FOIA, the Privacy Act, or the Paperwork Reduction Act if compliance would slow implementation. The exemption would not apply to regulations formally promulgated under the Act.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6]
WI • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1]
NC • D
Sponsored 8/17/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov