EB-3 Green Card Processing Time

Many people choose to work temporarily in the U.S. through nonimmigrant visas, while others want to make this country their permanent home. Immigrant visas, or green cards, allow foreign nationals to live and work in the U.S. for ten years at a time. One of the more common types of green cards that people seek is the EB-3 green card due to its relatively low eligibility requirements. However, this also makes it very popular, which can impact the time it takes to obtain one. Read along to learn what goes into the EB-3 visa processing time to get one in 2025

EB-3 Processing Time

Many clients ask long will it take to get an EB-3 green card. To answer this, you must understand the timeline and each step of the EB-3 green card process. Overall, an applicant can expect to receive their green card in anywhere from 2 to 5 years, whereas someone from China or India may take 5 to 10+ years.

Step One: PERM Labor Certification

The purpose of PERM labor certification is to ensure that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers or displace any who are able, willing, qualified, and available for the job. It involves:

1. Prevailing Wage Determination: According to the Department of Labor, prevailing wage determinations take approximately five months.
2. Recruitment: After the prevailing wage determination, the employer must undergo a mandatory recruitment phase. This process takes 2 to 3 months.
3. Application for Permanent Employment Certification (Form ETA-9089): After the Form ETA-9089 application is filed, the Department of Labor takes around 16 months to process the document. If your employer is audited, it could extend the processing time further. The date the ETA 9089 is filed is important because this officially marks the day you are entered into the line for an immigrant visa. Read more on priority dates in step three.

Total: Two years

Step Two: I-140 Processing Time: 

• According to USCIS data, the I-140 petition takes about eight months to process
• If your employer uses premium processing, the I-140 will be processed within 15 business days.

The I-140 premium processing fee is currently $2,805

Step Three: Priority Date and Visa Bulletin

Before you can file for a green card, you must wait for your priority date to become current. The Priority Date is the date the Form ETA-9089 was filed with the Department of Labor. It is essentially your place in the worldwide line for an immigrant visa. The wait time for this depends heavily on your country of origin due to visa caps placed on each country.

• For most countries, there is a wait time of approximately 2 years.
• For India and China, wait times are significantly longer.
  • China has wait times of over four years
  • India has wait times of over twelve years.

Importantly, while your Application for Permanent Employment Certification (Form ETA-9089) is processing, the final action dates in the visa bulletin will continually progress.

Step Four: Adjusting Status or Consular processing

After your priority date is current, you can move on to the next step.

• Those in the U.S. on a valid non-immigrant visa will adjust their status through adjustment of status using Form I-485. This typically takes 6-12 months. Unfortunately, there is no way to expedite this. To get the most accurate estimate of your I-485 processing time, please use the USCIS processing time tool. Enter your specific form into the fields and your field office/service center processing your case, then click “Get Processing Time.”
• For those living abroad, you will undergo consular processing. This process typically takes 3 to 6 months, depending on the appointment availability at the embassy. Consular process involves:
  • Paying processing fees
  • Submitting the DS-260 form
  • Uploading documents to an online portal
  • NVC document review
  • Medical examination with a panel physician authorized by the U.S. Department of State
  • An interview with a U.S. consulate or embassy in your home country.

Importantly, while the EB-3 green card process has different steps, in the timeline they don’t always happen one after the other. Some steps happen at the same time.

For example, while the government is reviewing your paperwork (like the I-140 form or ETA-9089 form), your spot in the visa line is constantly moving forward. So even though you’re waiting for an approval of multiple forms, you’re not losing your place in line.

Can Premium Processing Help?

Fortunately, the USCIS offers an optional service to expedite the process of all visa petitions that use the I-129 or I-140 forms. By paying an additional fee of $2,805, you can shorten the processing time of your petition to 15 business days. However, this does not expedite any other step in the EB-3 process.

It is also important to note that, if your priority date will not be current for some time, premium processing may not help, as you cannot adjust your status until your priority date is current, even if your I-140 is approved. Also, premium processing will not increase your chances of having your petition approved.

Speak with your immigration attorney to learn if premium processing is right for your case.

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EB-3 Requirements

The EB-3 is an employment-based immigrant visa that is on the third preference level. Because of this, the requirements are not as stringent as they are for the second and first preference levels (EB-1 and EB-2). There is no need to get a Master’s degree, prove exceptional abilities or achievements, or become a high-level executive or manager in a company.

To be considered eligible for an EB-3, you simply need to qualify for one of the following three categories:

• You are a foreign professional with a Bachelor’s degree. You must be able to prove that your occupation requires your specific degree.
• You are a skilled worker with at least two years of experience performing the tasks of your job.
• You are an unskilled worker in a job that does not have sufficient U.S. citizen workers available. This category requires your job to be permanent and not seasonal or temporary.

EB-3 Visa Process

To get this green card, you must go through the usual employment-based green card process.

1. You first need to find an employer willing to sponsor you for your green card.
2. Your employer then needs to acquire a PERM Labor Certification for you. This involves a recruitment process to ensure that no other qualified U.S. workers are available or willing to take your offered position.
3. Once a PERM has been obtained, your employer can then file an I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker on your behalf.
4. After the petition is filed, you will need to wait until your priority date is current in the Visa Bulletin. We will go into this step in more detail below.
5. When your priority date is current, an immigrant visa number will be available, and you can apply to change your status by filing an I-485 Adjustment of Status form. Or, if you are outside the U.S., you can complete your DS-260 Online Immigrant Visa Application and go through NVC consular processing.
6. Lastly, you will attend an interview at a USCIS office or U.S. consulate/embassy, depending on whether you are inside or outside the U.S.

How do EB-3 Priority Dates Work?

Your EB-3 priority date is the day that the Form ETA-9089 was filed with the DOL. You will need to reference this date when checking the monthly visa bulletin released by the Department of State.

Each year, there is a limit on how many immigrant visas are granted in each category. When the limit is exceeded, a backlog is created that can cause people from certain countries to wait from a few months to several years.

The visa bulletin provides the final action dates for the EB-3 Visa according to the applicant’s country of origin, so make sure to keep an eye on the date in your category. Here is an example:

Diana is a nurse from the Philippines who wants to work as a nurse in the U.S. Her priority date is August 1st, 2022. She checks the most recent visa Bulliten, and checks the third row under A. final action dates for employment-based preference cases. Based on the final action date of January 1st, 2023, she will likely have to wait at least 5 months before she will be able to apply for a change of status and obtain her green card. However, as we explain below, based on demand the Visa Bulliten occasionally does not progress.

Herein lies the problem with the EB-3 processing time for citizens of select countries (i.e., China and India). The final action dates can be backlogged for five to ten+ years. This EB-3 Visa Bulletin queue must be taken into account when considering the total EB-3 Processing times.

However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, the dates for many of the chargeability areas become or remain current, which can reduce the waiting times for the EB-3 green card.

Tip: Always be sure to check the most recent visa bulletin and consult with your immigration attorney to see how long you will have to wait before you can adjust your status or use consular processing.

To get a broader picture of how green cards are allocated, of the total 140,000 slots available for foreign workers, 28.6% (about 40,000) are designated for the EB-3 category. Additionally, no more than 7% of these EB-3 visas can go to foreign workers of any one particular country. For that reason, there is often a backlog due to the higher demand than the available visas.

EB-3 Wait Time by Country

The final action date in the Visa Bulletin provides an estimated waiting time and is based on your green card category and your home country. This date fluctuates based on how many people from your home country have petitioned for the EB-3 Visa.

If green cards are still available, the final action date will likely move closer to your priority date. But what if not enough green cards are available?

If that’s the case, you will not see any movement from that final action date. If the limit has been exceeded, you might see the date retrogress or move backward from your priority date.

In the July 2025 Visa Bulletin, you will see that the Final Action date varies for each country:

• India: May 22nd, 2013
• China: December 1st, 2020
• All other countries: April 1st, 2023

Discuss with your attorney about the most up-to-date information regarding the EB-3 wait time for your country. In some cases, porting may be a better option for you.

Benefits of The EB-3 Visa

There are several benefits to having an EB-3 visa, including:

• Permanent residency in the U.S.
• Not necessary to obtain an EAD to work
• Less rigorous requirements than other permanent resident visas, such as EB-1 or EB-2
• Spouse and children may accompany you to the U.S
• Can change job positions or employers after a few years

What Goes into Consular Processing

If you are going to process your EB-3 green card outside the U.S., you will need to complete the following steps:

Complete the DS-261 Application

Once the USCIS has approved the I-140 filed by your employer, your case will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC), which will assign a case number for your petition. When your priority date meets the most recent final action date, you will be notified to complete the DS-261.

The DS-261 is an online form that requires you to provide your personal information to help give the Department of State (DOS) details on the best channels of communication throughout the application process. After successfully completing the DS-261, you will need to print the confirmation page of the form, as that will be included in your supporting documents.

Complete the Immigration Medical Exam

Before your interview date, you will need to schedule and complete certain medical examinations and vaccinations. The results will be part of the criteria to determine your admissibility to the U.S.

How To Prepare Your EB-3 Green Card Supporting Documents

After the approval of your DS-261 by the NVC, you will need to submit the following EB-3 supporting documents for consular processing:

• Your passport(s) must be valid for at least six months beyond your intended date of arrival in the U.S.
• Two photographs, both of which must meet these requirements
• The approved PERM Labor Certification
• The employment letter from your prospective U.S. employer
• The approved I-140 petition
• The DS-261 confirmation page
• Any relevant credentials and academic records
• Your resume or CV
• Criminal records
• Medical documents

NOTE: Depending on the embassy and the individual’s case, the supporting documents may vary from what has been listed here. You will need to check with your attorney to be sure that you have the required documents for your case.

Attend Your Visa Interview

Upon receiving and reviewing your supporting documents, the NVC will schedule a visa interview for you at the consulate or embassy. If all goes well at the interview and your visa is approved, the NVC will send you your passport containing your immigrant visa and a sealed package.

These are all you need to travel to the U.S. Do not open the sealed package–it should only be opened by an immigration officer when you get to a U.S. port of entry. Once you have been admitted to the U.S., your employment-based green card (I-551) will be mailed to you.

What are the EB-3 Green Card Processing Fees?

The EB-3 green card costs will depend on certain factors, such as your location and whether you are using the regular method or premium processing service. Fees to be paid by the employer and employee are as follows:

Employers costs

• I-140 fee: $715 (employer)
• Asylum Program Fee (employer)
  • Regular Petitioner: $600
  • Small Employer or self-petitioner: $300
  • Nonprofit: $0
• I-907 fee for premium processing: $2,805 – optional (employer)

Employee Costs

• I-485 Status Adjustment fee: $1,440 (employee, only paid by those living in the U.S already)
• Consular Processing fee: $345 (employee, only paid by those living outside the U.S.)
  •  Medical appointment fee does not apply.
• USCIS Immigrant Fee:$235

Other fees may include the costs of advertising for the PERM Labor recruitment process by the employer. You may also want to factor in the cost of hiring an immigration lawyer, which is optional and negotiable, but strongly recommended.

Frequently asked questions