Your case number came back saying APPLICATION ON HOLD and nothing else. No letter came with it, and no official glossary defines it.
Here's what can be said about it, and what can't. To get an email the day it changes, enter the number in PERM Tracker's free case lookup, which checks a watched case against DOL's record every 5 minutes on weekdays from 7 AM to 9 PM Eastern.
The short answer
APPLICATION ON HOLD means the Department of Labor has stopped work on your PERM for a reason outside the ordinary review queue. It's not a denial, and it isn't the same thing as an audit.
Beyond that, DOL doesn't publish a definition. Anyone telling you precisely why your specific case is on hold is guessing, unless they've been told directly.
What's measured, and what isn't
The counts below are read live from DOL's own case system and carry the date they were read. DOL attaches no reason to the status itself, so this page describes it and doesn't invent causes. The one hold DOL has explained in public is quoted below, with its source.
How many cases are on hold right now
The live counts below name each employer whose cases are held as a group, and count the individual holds separately.
As of November 9, 2026, 2,880 of the 85,991 PERM cases waiting on DOL are on hold (3.3%), read from DOL's own case system.
| Where pending cases sit | Cases |
|---|---|
| Analyst review | 78,846 |
| Application on hold | 2,880 |
| Reconsideration appeals | 2,578 |
| BALCA appeals | 910 |
| RFI issued | 604 |
| NORD issued | 159 |
| Request for review | 10 |
| Supervised recruitment | 3 |
| Reconsideration appeals - rfi issued | 1 |
4 employers hold 2,824 of the 2,880 (98%):
- Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corporation: 1,831 of 1,831 pending on hold; on hold since before August 27, 2026, when this site's record begins.
- Microsoft Corporation: 598 of 598 pending on hold; on hold since October 8, 2026.
- Adobe Inc.: 226 of 226 pending on hold; 215 on hold since September 24, 2026; 1 already on hold when first recorded; 10 put on hold on other days.
- Capgemini America, Inc.: 169 of 169 pending on hold; on hold since October 8, 2026.
The other 56 are spread across smaller filers. When nearly all of one employer's pending cases are on hold, the hold is on its filings as a group, and no one application in it was picked out. The status itself carries no reason.
If your employer is one of those named, your case is on hold along with the employer's other held cases. If it isn't, yours is one of the individual holds counted in the rest, and the reasons in the next section are the likelier ones.
How it differs from an audit and from an RFI
These three are easy to mix up, and they're different things.
| Status | What it is | Does it need a response from the employer? |
|---|---|---|
| Application on hold | DOL has paused work on the case | Usually not, and often nothing has been asked |
| RFI issued | DOL has asked a specific question | Yes, with a deadline |
| Audit | DOL wants proof of the recruitment | Yes, and it's substantial |
The practical difference is that an audit and an RFI both put a clock on your employer. A hold usually doesn't, and that's what makes it frustrating. There's often nothing to do.
What tends to put a case on hold
DOL doesn't publish a list of reasons. One employer-wide hold has been explained in public by DOL's own Inspector General, and the rest are the situations attorneys report:
- An employer's filings are suspended. On September 8, 2026, DOL's Inspector General posted on X that "@Cognizant's PERM filings are suspended" and that his office "is on the hunt" (the post). That's the only employer-wide hold with a public explanation. An investigation isn't a finding, and DOL hasn't said anything about any other employer's holds.
- A related case for the same worker or employer is being decided first.
- A question about the employer's identity, ownership, or business status.
- A pending appeal or reconsideration elsewhere in the file.
- An administrative issue that has nothing to do with the merits.
None of these is confirmed by DOL for your case. If you see the status and want the reason, the employer's attorney can ask. You can't.
How long does a hold last?
Nobody knows, and anyone quoting a number is inventing it. Ordinary analyst review moves in filing order, and a hold doesn't.
You can see the date DOL last changed the status and get told the moment it changes again.
What to do
Check the status yourself, set an alert, ask your employer's attorney one specific question, and don't refile.
- Check the status yourself. Put your
G-orA-number into case status for DOL's own record, with the date it was last verified. - Set an alert. Leave an email address on that page and you'll hear when DOL moves it. You get one message per change, and you don't need an account.
- Ask your employer's attorney one specific question. Ask "has DOL contacted us about this case, and is there anything outstanding from our side". That has an answer. "How long will this take" doesn't, because nobody knows.
- Don't refile or panic. A hold isn't a denial. Withdrawing to refile restarts everything, including the priority date.
What this page can't tell you
It can't tell you why your case is on hold, when it'll move, or whether the hold predicts the outcome.
- Why your case specifically is on hold. The status carries no reason, and DOL has explained only one employer's holds in public.
- When it'll move. There's no published queue position for this status.
- Whether it predicts the outcome. It doesn't, in either direction.
