Updated
PERM sponsor, #1,458 of 70,985 by filings
Nikola Corporation
- Main job
- Automotive Engineers · 14% of its filings
- Main worksite
- Phoenix, AZ · 93% of its filings
- Industry
- Heavy Duty Truck Manufacturing · NAICS 336120
Waiting on a case with Nikola Corporation?
- When it'll likely be decided
- An email when DOL moves it
Too few cases for a rate
28 decided filings: too few for an approval rate.
Why
Across every PERM case DOL decided in this window, 3.20% were denied. At that rate a file this size comes back clean most of the time whatever the sponsor did, so a percentage would be a fact about how few cases there are. Telling a clean record apart from the field takes about 117 decided cases.
Filings
29
#1,458 of 70,985
Certified
27
1 denied
Approval
Not shown
withheld: 28 decided
Median wage
$142,500
offered, per year
Median days
474
8 slower than the field
Right now
DOL's live record of its cases, read every day, and what it has done to them as a group.
Nothing for this sponsor is waiting on a decision. All 26 of their cases in the live tracker are closed.
Follow Nikola Corporation
An email when DOL moves its cases as a group: five or more on or off hold in a day, or a batch decided well above its usual pace.
What DOL has done to its cases as a group
Nothing employer-wide since this site's record began on August 27, 2026.
Its newest filings
Filed since DOL's last quarterly file, so the wage and law firm aren't published yet.
- G-100-23219-244533 Lead Controls HIL Engineer filed 2023-08-07 · WITHDRAWN
Every filing by this employer is in the case search, live and published together.
Source: DOL's own case-status service, flag.dol.gov, where any of these numbers can be looked up. A filing shows there soon after it's made, months before DOL's quarterly files.
How long it takes
How long their cases are taking
- 301 days
Every employer
median of 31,712 decisions in the same 90 days
None of their cases were decided in the last 90 days, too few for a median of their own. Filing to decision, over decisions we watched DOL make; withdrawals left out.
Filed today: a new case joins the same line as anyone's, behind 79,711 cases, and would be decided around March 20, 2027 (between February 28, 2027 and April 29, 2027). Estimate another date
Every program
Across DOL's programs
The wage request, the PERM and the H-1B labor condition application, one line each.
- PERM (green card)
- 29 published
- 0 pending
- $142,500 median, n=29
- Prevailing wage requests
- 53 published
- 0 pending
- $125,840 median, n=51
- H-1B labor condition applications
- 322 published
- 0 pending
- $125,000 median, n=322
Its median H-1B wage is $125,000 across 322 LCAs, 12.3% lower than its median PERM wage of $142,500 across 29 cases. Different forms, different years and different jobs sit behind the two medians, so this is a gap in what was filed, not a finding.
Every case across these programs is in the search.
How these are counted
Medians are of the published rows with a usable wage, annualised from whatever unit the filing quoted, and withheld under 10 wages. DOL publishes no employer number, so filings are matched by the employer's legal name, read under the 2 spellings DOL's files use for it; another employer with the same legal name would be counted here too. The PERM is the green-card step; the wage request comes months before it, and the LCA is the separate form for an H-1B. DOL publishes each in its own file, and its live record shows what is still open.
Its newest wage requests and LCAs
Filed by Nikola Corporation, newest first. Decided ones carry the wage from DOL's quarterly files.
Wage requests
- P-100-24332-503206 Senior Manager, Fastener Engineering $201,406 per year 2024-11-26 · DETERMINATION ISSUED
- P-100-24331-501677 Lead Functional Safety Vehicle Validation Engineer $108,971 per year 2024-11-26 · DETERMINATION ISSUED
- P-100-24324-485836 Sr. Supplier Quality Engineer $145,642 per year 2024-11-19 · DETERMINATION ISSUED
- P-100-24305-445153 Chief Engineer $201,406 per year 2024-10-31 · DETERMINATION ISSUED
- P-100-24277-383195 Lead Vehicle Validation NVH Engineer $125,840 per year 2024-10-03 · DETERMINATION ISSUED
H-1B LCAs
- I-200-25071-767370 Software Product Manager - HMI and Mobile Apps $145,000 per year 2025-03-11 · CERTIFIED
- I-200-25030-655458 Purchasing Manager $275,000 per year 2025-01-30 · CERTIFIED
- I-200-25024-639276 Senior Functional Safety Vehicle Validation Engineer $142,500 per year 2025-01-23 · CERTIFIED
- I-200-25024-639243 Senior Validation Engineer $147,500 per year 2025-01-23 · CERTIFIED
- I-200-25022-633583 Senior Component Engineer $137,500 per year 2025-01-22 · CERTIFIED
Source: DOL's own case-status service, flag.dol.gov, where any of these numbers can be looked up. A filing shows there soon after it's made, months before DOL's quarterly files.
What its H-1B LCAs were for
From DOL's quarterly LCA files: 322 LCAs filed by Nikola Corporation, 291 of them certified with the worker breakdown on Form ETA-9035.
New hires and transfers
66 positions for new employment, 154 moving here from another employer.
- New employment 7a 66 · 23%
- Change of employer 7e 154 · 53%
- Continuing 7b 67 · 23%
- Change in previous employment 7c 2 · 1%
- Concurrent employment 7d 0 · 0%
- Amended petition 7f 5 · 2%
Shares of the 292 worker positions requested. These are positions on certified LCAs, not people hired: DOL certifies an LCA before any petition, and many are never used.
What each box on the form means
- New employment (7a). Starting with a new employer.
- Change of employer (7e). Moving here from another employer, keeping the visa classification already held.
- Continuing (7b). Staying with the same employer.
- Change in previous employment (7c). Same employer, no material change to the job duties.
- Concurrent employment (7d). Adding this employer while keeping another.
- Amended petition (7f). Same employer, with a material change to the job duties.
Form ETA-9035, Section B, Item 7, in DOL's words from its LCA record layout. One LCA can tick several boxes.
Wage level it chose
- Level I 0 · 0%
- Level II 70 · 24%
- Level III 148 · 51%
- Level IV 73 · 25%
Shares of the 291 certified LCAs that named an OES level. The form asks for the level only when the employer set the wage from the OES survey itself; 0 of 291 used another source, such as a DOL wage determination or another survey. Level I is entry, Level IV fully competent.
What it declared on Section H
- H-1B-dependent
- No
- Found a willful violator
- No
As answered on its newest LCA, filed March 11, 2025. Declared H-1B-dependent on 0 of 293 LCAs, and a willful violator on 0 of 322. Both are the employer's own answers.
What the two answers mean
H-1B-dependent (20 CFR 655.736(a)): 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees in the US and more than 7 H-1B workers; 26 to 50 and more than 12; or 51 or more, with H-1B workers equal to at least 15% of them.
Willful violator (655.736(f)): DOL or the Justice Department found a willful failure or a misrepresentation of a material fact in the five years before the LCA was filed.
Either one adds two promises to the employer's LCAs: not to displace US workers, and to recruit US workers before hiring H-1B workers (655.738, 655.739). They don't apply to an LCA used only for exempt workers, paid at least $60,000 a year or holding a related master's degree (655.737). The rule on eCFR
Against other sponsors
Where it sits among 70,985 sponsors. The full ranking sorts every column.
How it compares with other sponsors
Each figure ranked only among sponsors with enough cases for it to mean something. No single score: they measure different things.
H-1B LCAs certified in the last 24 months
8 certified in the last 24 months
Higher than 67% of the 27,861 sponsors with a certified LCA in the last 24 months.
Share of H-1B positions that were transfers
27% of 22 certified H-1B positions, LCAs decided Jun 2024 to Jun 2026
Higher than 78% of the 5,558 sponsors with 20 or more certified positions.
Share of H-1B LCAs at wage level III or IV
95% of 22 certified LCAs with a level, LCAs decided Jun 2024 to Jun 2026
Higher than 99% of the 5,177 sponsors with 20 or more leveled LCAs.
USCIS H-1B approval rate, last 3 fiscal years
99.0% of 95 USCIS decisions
Higher than 54% of the 5,810 sponsors with 20 or more USCIS decisions.
Approval rate
not shownunder 30 decided
Median days to decision
474 daysmiddle of 28 decided, too few to rank
Each bar counts sponsors at that value. More
Against the sponsors ranked nearest
The 120 sponsors ranked nearest filed between 28 and 30 filings.
- Their median wait
- 457 days
- This one
- 474 days
This one sits 17 days behind them.
Why no approval rate
A band is a slice of the volume ranking rather than a population picked for having enough decided cases, so a band rate would be solid at the top of the list and noise at the bottom, under one heading.
Where this sits in the ranking
Ranked 1,458 of 70,985 by volume: 1,457 filed at least as many filings, and 69,527 filed no more.
- Just above
- Lawn Groomers, Inc. 29 filings
- Just below
- o9 Solutions, Inc. 29 filings
Sponsors filing at the same rate
Ranked either side of this one: they file about as many PERM cases.
- #1,457 Lawn Groomers, Inc. 29 filings · 8 denied
- #1,459 o9 Solutions, Inc. 29 filings · 1 denied
- #1,456 Inovalon, Inc. 29 filings · none denied
- #1,460 S&H CENTRAL FLORIDA INVESTMENTS, INC 29 filings · 1 denied
- #1,455 Fractal Analytics, Inc. 29 filings · none denied
- #1,461 MH Salon Group LLC 29 filings · 1 denied
Sponsors hiring for the same work
The employers filing the most PERM cases for Automotive Engineers, the occupation this sponsor files for most.
What they file, and where
A rank says how much. It says nothing about what the work is, which is the part a job offer from this sponsor turns on.
What the jobs are
SOC 17-2141.02 · 4 filings, 14% of everything they file
- Manufacturing Engineers 17-2112.034
- Electrical Engineers 17-2071.003
- Architectural and Engineering Managers 11-9041.002
- Mechanical Engineers 17-21412
- Accountants and Auditors 13-2011.001
How this is counted
These are the 6 occupations with the most filings, 16 of 29 cases between them. The occupation on a PERM is the SOC code on the form, which is the job as DOL classifies it rather than the job title on the offer. DOL still accepts two SOC vintages, so one job can appear twice under two codes; the code is printed for exactly that reason.
The industry they declared
Heavy Duty Truck Manufacturing
NAICS 336120 · 29 filings
How this is counted
The NAICS code the employer entered on the form, with the Census Bureau's title for it. DOL publishes the code alone, and an employer can file under more than one.
Where the jobs are
- Arizona 29
How this is counted
The worksite state on the application, which is where the job is and not where the company is headquartered. Volume by state across everyone is on the state map. This state covers 29 of 29 filings.
Where the work is
- Phoenix, AZ 27
- Coolidge, AZ 2
How this is counted
The worksite city on the application, which is where the job is. These 2 cities cover 29 of 29 filings.
Who files for them
- Randall Law PLLC 29 filings
How this is counted
The law firm named on the application. 29 of 29 filings, 100% of the total.
Newspapers it advertised in
- 25 cases
The Arizona Republic
How this is counted
The newspaper or professional journal named for each case's two print ads, one count per paper per case, however the filer spelled it.
Additional steps it used
- 25 cases
The employer's website
- 25 cases
Job search websites
- 25 cases
Local or ethnic newspapers
How this is counted
The steps a professional job needs beyond the job order and the ads, by the number of cases that name each.
How long before filing it began
- 0.0%
Under 30 days
- 0.0%
30 to 59 days
- 8.0%
60 to 89 days
- 36%
90 to 119 days
- 24%
120 to 149 days
- 32%
150 to 180 days
- 0.0%
Over 180 days
How this is counted
Days from the first recruitment step to the filing. 20 C.F.R. § 656.17(e) puts the job order and ads 30 to 180 days before filing.
History
Year by year since 2021
56 PERM decisions from FY2021 to FY2026, busiest in FY2022 with 14.
- certified
- denied
- withdrawn
Fiscal years, October to September. A year filed under another name is missing, not zero. FY2026 is partial: DOL's newest file runs through June 2026.
Every year as a table
| Fiscal year | Certified | Denied | Withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| FY2022 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| FY2023 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| FY2024 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| FY2025 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| FY2026 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Decided in FY2016 to FY2023
The 25 most recent of 27. Case numbers from these years start with A-; look one up for DOL's full record.
| Case | Decided | Outcome | Job | Offered wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-22210-97345 | 2023-07-31 | certified | Lead Engineer, Change Management, AZ | $135,000 |
| A-22235-10746 | 2023-06-15 | certified | Lead Engineer, Wire Harness 3D Packaging, AZ | $125,000 |
| A-22210-97071 | 2023-05-25 | certified | Lead Engineer, Wire Harness 3D Packaging, AZ | $125,000 |
| A-22192-86217 | 2023-05-16 | certified | Staff Engineer, Thermal Systems, AZ | $145,000 |
| A-22034-07215 | 2023-02-10 | certified | Exterior Industrial Designer, AZ | $145,000 |
| A-22054-15419 | 2022-12-12 | certified | Technical Specialist, Autonomous Driving Lead Development Engineer, AZ | $139,050 |
| A-22054-15350 | 2022-12-09 | certified | Senior Engineer, Controls, AZ | $85,000 |
| A-22031-05384 | 2022-11-30 | certified | Lead Engineer, Interiors, AZ | $145,000 |
The other 17
| A-22026-03258 | 2022-11-07 | certified | Senior Aerodynamics Engineer, AZ | $100,000 |
| A-22025-02755 | 2022-09-30 | certified | Lead Verification & Validation Engineer, AZ | $120,000 |
| A-22010-96068 | 2022-09-21 | certified | Technical Specialist: Mechanical Design, AZ | $128,100 |
| A-21362-91495 | 2022-09-12 | certified | Systems Engineering Lead, Vehicle Integration, AZ | $122,000 |
| A-22010-96029 | 2022-08-31 | withdrawn | Systems Administrator, AZ | $90,000 |
| A-21294-61803 | 2022-08-17 | certified | CAE Engineer, Crash Safety, AZ | $101,000 |
| A-21294-61660 | 2022-08-17 | certified | CAE Engineer, Crash Safety, AZ | $101,000 |
| A-21302-65684 | 2022-07-28 | certified | Lead Engineer, CAE, AZ | $112,000 |
| A-21308-68446 | 2022-07-13 | certified | Purchasing Manager, AZ | $120,000 |
| A-21308-68372 | 2022-06-24 | certified | Purchasing Manager, AZ | $120,000 |
| A-21307-67746 | 2022-06-01 | certified | Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer, Cab, AZ | $101,000 |
| A-21293-61015 | 2022-05-24 | certified | Manager, CAE Crash Safety, AZ | $120,000 |
| A-21299-63853 | 2022-05-23 | certified | Supplier Quality Manager, AZ | $145,000 |
| A-20084-34686 | 2022-01-24 | denied | Hydrogen Station Electrical and Validation Engineer, AZ | $106,870 |
| A-20133-53567 | 2022-01-24 | denied | Senior Software Engineer, AZ | $84,427 |
| A-21117-79192 | 2021-09-16 | certified | Technical Specialist, CAE NVH, AZ | $130,000 |
| A-21117-79040 | 2021-09-16 | certified | Senior Materials Engineer, AZ | $100,000 |
Who they sponsored, FY2016 to FY2023
From DOL's old form; the form in use since mid-2023 doesn't carry them. Top six of each.
Country of citizenship
- India 19
- Mexico 6
- Canada 1
- South Korea 1
Worker's education
- Master's 19
- Bachelor's 6
- Doctorate 1
- None 1
Visa held when filed
- H-1B 19
- TN 2
- F-1 1
Schools
- WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY 4
- ANNA UNIVERSITY 1
- BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY 1
- BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY 1
- CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO 1
- CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES 1
Fields of study
- MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 10
- AEROSPACE ENGINEERING 2
- BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 2
- ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING 2
- INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING 2
- AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING 1
Notes on these numbers
What this rank counts, and what it doesn't
DOL prints the name that went on the form, so one sponsor can appear under several. The 2 entries below start the same way and were not merged, because the difference between them is more than a mistyped letter. Some may be the same sponsor; some are a different one. Rank #1,458 counts this page's cases only.
4 filings sit on those pages rather than this one. The methodology has the rule that decides which spellings merge.
What these numbers don't say
5 notes
- The wage is the job, not the payer
- Their filings are led by Automotive Engineers, 4 of 29. The median offered wage moves almost entirely with what roles they file. A software developer and a poultry cutter are different numbers wherever they are filed, so this figure is not plotted against the field and no percentile is given for it: that comparison would rank occupation mix and call it pay. Wages by occupation are on the wages page.
- Volume doesn’t change the wait
- DOL works a single national queue, oldest first, whoever filed the case, so these 29 filings bought no priority: a company with four thousand waits exactly as long as one with three.
- The name is a legal entity
- DOL prints whatever went on the form, and here that name ranks 1,458. A group that files through several subsidiaries appears as several rows, and one that files everything through a parent appears once, so a rank is a rank among printed names rather than among companies.
- A median over 28 decided cases
- The queue is national and first in, first out, so this figure follows when the cases were filed as much as it follows the sponsor.
- Two sources, and they do not add up
- The filing counts come from DOL's disclosure files, where every row already carries a decision date, so nothing pending is in them. The queue figures come from a live per-case tracker with its own coverage and its own as-of date. Subtracting one from the other gives a number that means nothing. The worksite on most of these is AZ. Where the queue stands overall is on the processing times page.
The window these figures cover: DOL's PERM disclosure files for fiscal years 2024 to 2026, through the third quarter of 2026, 373,939 decided cases. Nothing pending is counted here. How each figure is built
Case data: DOL quarterly disclosure files (flag.dol.gov) · data through Jun 30, 2026 · quarterly
Employers and firms: Derived from DOL's disclosure files · data through Jun 30, 2026 · rebuilt with each quarterly load
Per-case statuses: flag.dol.gov/recaptcha/caseStatus (DOL, direct) · data through Oct 23, 2026 · daily
What each source includes
Case data: Decided PERM cases only. A case still waiting isn't in here, so counts and durations describe finished cases.
Employers and firms: Employers, law firms and occupations ranked from decided cases only.
Per-case statuses: Every PERM case DOL indexes, pending included. No wage, law firm or worksite: DOL reveals those only when a case is published.