EB-3 visa is a Third Preference Employment-Based Immigration visa for the following types of workers:

  • Skilled workers – persons whose jobs require a minimum of 2 years of training or experience, not of a temporary or seasonal nature.
  • Professionals – persons whose job requires at least a US baccalaureate or foreign equivalent degree.
  • Other workers – persons performing unskilled labor requiring less than 2 years of training or experience, not of a temporary or seasonal nature.

With an EB-3 visa, foreign workers can go to the US, live there permanently, work without having to obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and travel within and outside the US. The family of EB-3 visa holders (spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21) may be eligible to apply for admission to the US.

Applications for the EB3 visas have multiple steps, which involve both the employer and the foreign employee. Labor certification and a permanent full-time job offer from a US employer are required. The employer must also prove that he could not find an available, qualified, or willing US worker for the job position and that he is financially stable to pay the foreign worker and can afford to sponsor the worker.