This is the status people search for and find nothing about, and there's a reason for that. DOL's FLAG system uses the word, but DOL's regulations don't. No OFLC publication we could find expands the acronym, and this guide won't expand it either. It can say what's measurable about the cases that carry it, and what a notice from DOL means in general. PERM Tracker's NORD stage page lists those cases and their ages from its daily read of DOL's own case-status service.
No published definition
We couldn't confirm what NORD stands for from any DOL or OFLC source, so this page doesn't guess. The status appears on DOL's own case-status search and nowhere in 20 CFR 656.
What the record shows
Every NORD case in the record was filed inside a single four-month window, which is the signature of a batch review.
| Measured, as of September 8, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Cases at NORD ISSUED | 125 |
| Median time since filing | 672 days |
| Middle 80% of cases | 657 to 734 days since filing |
| Filing dates | every case inside a single four-month window |
The last row is the useful one. A status that arises from something happening continuously, like an RFI, holds cases filed across every month. This one holds cases filed in one narrow band, which is the signature of a batch review: a set of applications from one period being worked at the same time, with the same question being put to each. The individual reason is on the notice, and the shape says it isn't random.
The median age matters for expectations. These cases were filed almost two years ago, so whatever the notice asks, it's being asked late in a long queue rather than at the start of one.
What a notice from DOL means in general
Every pending status where the employer has to act works the same way, whatever the letter is called:
- The letter states what DOL wants and the date by which it wants it.
- The employer, through its attorney, is the one who answers. The beneficiary can't respond directly because the employer is the applicant.
- Missing the date is the risk. The notice itself does no harm. On an audit, 20 CFR 656.20 makes a missed date a denial and a refusal to exhaust remedies. On other notices the letter governs.
Our glossary entry describes a NORD as a notice about a deficiency DOL found in the recruitment the employer ran before filing, which is what the notices we've seen concern. That describes the letters we've observed. It isn't a definition, and the status dictionary labels it as such.
What to do if your case shows it
Ask the attorney for the notice and its date, ask whether the response needs anything from you, and watch for the status to move.
Ask the attorney for the notice and its date
The date on the notice is the deadline. Nothing on a public page can tell you what it is.
Ask whether the response needs anything from you
Usually it doesn't. Recruitment questions are answered from the employer's file. A few ask about the job itself, and then your résumé or a credential can matter.
Watch for the status to move
DOL doesn't announce that the response was received. The status changes when the analyst decides. The case page checks daily and emails on a change.
What this guide can't tell you
It can't tell you what NORD stands for, why your case was selected, or how long the stage lasts.
- What NORD stands for, or DOL's definition of the state. Neither is published.
- Why your case was selected. The notice is the only record.
- How long the stage lasts. The site has observed status changes since August 2026, and a stage this small and this batched hasn't produced enough transitions to measure reliably. The stage page shows the cases and their ages.
Related
- Every case status, explained
- PERM status RFI issued, the common notice this one is often confused with
- Read the denial and audit rates
