Employment First Preference (EB-3)

Employment Third Preference visas (EB-3 visas) are for unskilled workers, skilled workers, and professionals. These terms are defined as:

• Professionals are persons whose occupations require at least a four year college or university degree
• Skilled workers are persons who have two years of job training or work experience
• Unskilled workers are persons who will fill non-seasonal occupations that require less than two years of job training or work experience.

All EB-3 applicants must obtain Labor Certification with the U.S. Department of Labor (PERM). As with EB-1 and EB-2 visas, 28.6 percent of all employment based visas are reserved for the EB-3 visa category. There is a considerable backlog of visas for EB-3 applicants.