Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker I-140 (PERM Based) Petition The Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (in the U.S., I-140 Petition), is a form filed with to initiate the employment-based Permanent Resident (in the U.S., green card) process for a foreign worker. In the United States, this petition is typically filed by the employer to demonstrate that there is a valid job offer and that the foreign worker meets the qualifications for the specific employment-based preference category. For PERM-based I-140 petitions, the employer must first obtain a Labor Certification (PERM) from the U.S. Department of Labor to demonstrate that there are no qualified U.S. workers available for the job position. Once the I-140 is approved, the foreign worker can move forward with the final steps of the green card process, including waiting for a visa number to become available in the relevant preference category