Department of Labor (DOL) to Consider Changes to PERM Regulations

From USADNEWS Volume XVII, Fall Issue

In July 2026 the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a formal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled Modernizing the Labor Market Test and Improving Protections for U.S. Workers in the PERM Immigrant Visa Program.

Noting that the regulations governing the permanent labor certification process (PERM) program have not been comprehensively modified since 2004, the DOL states its intention to modernize the process in accordance with changes to industry practices, technology, and recruitment methods to better reflect current labor market dynamics, with a particular focus on enforcing employer compliance with the regulations.

Once issued, the NPRM will be published in the Federal Register with the proposed revisions to the regulatory text for a public comment period, after which period the DOL will issue the final rule.

Although no details have been published yet on what changes this would entail, this notice represents the most significant step towards updating the PERM regulations in two decades. Ideally, the changes would take into account major upheavals in the newspaper industry such as the recent shift from print to digital that many major metro papers have implemented that have left certain markets without a suitable Sunday option.

USADWEB will continue to monitor for any further updates on the NPRM that could affect the recruitment process.