Overview: EB-3 other workers is the green card subcategory for permanent jobs that require less than two years of training or experience. It runs through the same employer sponsorship and Labor certification (PERM)The Department of Labor process in which an employer shows that no qualified U.S. worker is available for a position, required for most EB-2 and EB-3 petitions.See it in the glossary process as the rest of EB-3, but federal law caps it at 10,000 visas a year, so its wait is usually longer. Here is how the category works and where its queue stands.
Who counts as an other worker
EB-3 has three subgroups. Professionals hold a U.S. bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent for a job that requires one. Skilled workers fill jobs that require at least two years of training or experience. Other workers fill jobs that require less than two years, and the job cannot be temporary or seasonal. The State Department also calls this group unskilled workers.
What decides the subgroup is the job’s minimum requirements on the labor certification, not the worker’s full resume. A worker with years of experience can still be classified as an other worker if the job itself only requires a few months.
How the process works
- PERM labor certification. The employer gets a prevailing wage determination, tests the U.S. labor market, and files with the Department of Labor. The filing date becomes the worker’s Priority dateThe date a petition was filed, or a labor certification was submitted, used to determine an applicant's place in line for a visa category with limited annual numbers.See it in the glossary.
- Form I-140Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, filed by an employer (or in some categories the worker) to classify a person under an employment-based category.See it in the glossary. After DOL certifies the job, the employer files the petition with USCIS and shows it can pay the offered wage.
- The wait, then the green card. When the priority date is reached on the chart USCIS designates that month, the worker files Form I-485Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, the form used to apply for a green card from inside the United States.See it in the glossary inside the United States or goes through a U.S. consulate abroad.
The 10,000 cap
EB-3 as a whole receives about 28.6 percent of employment-based visas each year, but no more than 10,000 of them can go to other workers. The figure can be lower. Under a law known as NACARA, the State Department reduces the other workers allocation by up to 5,000 a year to offset earlier adjustments under that program. The June 2026 Visa Bulletin put that reduction at about 150 numbers for fiscal year 2026, and the October bulletin gives the same estimate for fiscal year 2027, according to this bulletin summary.
Where the queue stands
In the October 2026 Visa BulletinA monthly State Department publication showing which family and employment visa categories currently have visas available.See it in the glossary, the other workers Final Action DatesThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the priority dates for which a visa number can actually be issued or a green card approved in that month.See it in the glossary were:
- Most countries, including Mexico and the Philippines: January 1, 2022
- China: October 1, 2019
- India: January 1, 2014
For comparison, the main EB-3 line for most countries was May 15, 2024, per this October 2026 summary. That gap is the cost of the separate cap.
USCIS told employment-based applicants to use the Dates for FilingThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the earliest priority dates for which applicants may submit documents, or in some months file for adjustment of status, ahead of a visa number being available.See it in the glossary chart in October. On that chart, other workers stood at August 1, 2024 for most countries including Mexico, January 1, 2024 for the Philippines, October 1, 2020 for China, and January 15, 2015 for India, according to this filing chart summary. Bulletin dates change monthly, so check the current one before filing.