DOL processes PERM cases on two axes: first by submission month (FIFO — first in, first out), and within each month, alphabetically by sponsoring employer name.
How it works in practice
Picture you and a friend filing the same month — October 2024. You're sponsored by an employer starting with 'A' and your friend by one starting with 'W'. You will likely clear first, because DOL walks through the alphabet within that month before moving on to November.
Special characters and numbers (e.g., '7-Eleven', '1Stop') come before the letter A. Companies starting with articles ('The', 'A') follow the literal name — 'The Walt Disney Company' sits at 'T', not 'W'.
When does the month change?
DOL only advances to the next submission month after closing (or nearly closing) the current one. Backlog often piles up on some months — a heavier month takes longer to clear.
You can track which month is being processed right now on the PermQueue home page, which surfaces the live DOL backlog.