EB-3 Visa – Employer-Sponsored Green Card in the US
EB-3 is the green card for people a US company hires on a permanent basis – an engineer with a degree, a welder with two years of experience, a worker with no formal training. The employer completes PERM labor certification and files Form I-140; the worker then waits for their date in the Visa Bulletin.
We handle the case from checking the job offer to the green card, working with both the worker and the employer. We do not find employers or sell job offers. Legal work for the petition and visa starts at $10,000; government fees are separate.
Need our help?
Tell us the job title, the state and the company that wants to hire you. A lawyer will tell you whether the offer works for EB-3.
The three EB-3 categories
| Category | What the worker needs | Bulletin date (Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Professionals | a US bachelor’s or foreign equivalent, if the job requires it | June 15, 2024 |
| Skilled workers | at least 2 years of training or experience for the job | June 15, 2024 |
| Other workers | a job that needs less than 2 years of training | June 1, 2022 |
Dates apply to most countries; China, India, Mexico and the Philippines have their own. A worker whose priority date is earlier than the listed date can be issued a visa. The law caps other workers at 10,000 visas a year, which is why that line moves slower.
What the employer has to do
There is no EB-3 without an employer. The job must be permanent, full-time and not seasonal, and the company goes through several checks.
- obtains a prevailing wage determination from the US Department of Labor for the job and area
- tests the US labor market – a 30-day job order with the state workforce agency, Sunday print ads and, for professional jobs, additional recruitment steps
- files Form ETA-9089 and receives PERM certification
- files the I-140 within 180 days of certification
- proves it can pay the offered wage from the PERM filing date, through annual reports, tax returns or audited statements
- pays for PERM itself – an employer may not take money from the worker for labor certification, including its own lawyer’s fees
How long it takes
Three stretches add up – PERM at the Department of Labor, the I-140 at USCIS, and the wait for your Visa Bulletin date. PERM with the wage determination and recruitment often takes more than a year; the Department of Labor posts current processing times on its FLAG site. The I-140 can be sped up to 15 business days for $2,965; the queue cannot. Your priority date is the day PERM was filed.
Learn more
- Employment-Based Immigration: Third Preference EB-3 – USCIS
- Permanent Labor Certification – US Department of Labor
- Visa Bulletin – US Department of State
Visa categories
Talent and work
Business and investment
All visas
How we handle an EB-3 case
We treat the worker and the employer as one team. Each has their own paperwork, and a gap on either side stalls the whole case.
- Offer and employer check. Is the job permanent, does the worker’s experience match the requirements, does the company earn enough to pay the prevailing wage.
- PERM. Wage determination, recruitment, ETA-9089. The employer pays for this part.
- Form I-140. Filed by the employer with the certification, the worker’s degree and experience letters, and proof of ability to pay.
- Waiting for the date. We track the bulletin. Until the date is current, the worker lives and works where they are.
- Visa or adjustment. From abroad – NVC, DS-260, medical exam and interview. In the US – Form I-485 if you are in valid status and your date is current.
If someone offers to “sell” you an EB-3 job or asks you to pay a middleman for labor certification, stop there. Under PERM rules the worker does not pay for certification, and the job has to be real.
- passport and degrees with a credential evaluation
- letters from past employers with duties and dates
- certificates and licenses if the job requires them
- family documents
Check the employer before PERM
The most painful EB-3 denial comes a year in, after PERM is done – USCIS cannot see that the company can pay the promised wage. So before we start, we look at the employer’s recent tax returns and compare net income with the job’s wage. If there is no margin, it is better to find out before the year has gone.
Yulia Golinevich – immigration lawyer
EB-3 green card with our help
Prices are for the principal applicant. Government fees are paid separately.
Government fees – Form I-140 $715 ($665 online); Asylum Program Fee with the I-140 $600, $300 for small employers with 25 or fewer employees, $0 for nonprofits; premium processing $2,965 with a response within 15 business days; Form I-485 $1,440 ($1,390 online), $950 for a child under 14 filing with a parent; immigrant visa fee $345 per person plus the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee. The Department of Labor charges no filing fee for PERM.
Amounts follow the USCIS fee schedule G-1055, October 2026 edition, and State Department fees.
Want to see all prices?
Every visa and immigration service we offer, priced on one page.
EB-3 visa questions
Do you help find an employer?
No. We work with people who already have a US job offer and with employers who want to sponsor a worker. How people find sponsors is covered in our article on EB-3 visa requirements.
Who pays for PERM?
The employer. Department of Labor rules bar passing labor certification costs to the worker, including the company’s legal fees. The I-140 and the visa stage can be paid by either side.
How long does an EB-3 green card take?
PERM, the I-140 and the queue add up. In November 2026, visas go to workers with priority dates before June 15, 2024, and before June 1, 2022 for other workers. A stage-by-stage breakdown is in our article on the EB-3 process and timeline.
Can I change employers midway?
Before Form I-485 is filed, a new employer usually means a new PERM and a new petition. Once an I-485 has been pending for 180 days or more, a move to a same or similar job may be possible without a new petition.
Does my family immigrate too?
Yes. Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 receive green cards with you under your petition.
I live in Canada. Where is the interview?
Immigrant visa interviews for residents of Canada take place at the US Consulate General in Montreal. Where you live does not affect PERM or the I-140.
Can I work for the employer before the green card?
Only if you already hold separate US work authorization, such as a work visa. A pending EB-3 case does not by itself allow you to work.
