The EB-3 visa quota is the limited number of employment-based third-preference immigrant visas issued each fiscal year, as set by US immigration law. Because there is a limit, backlogs and the Visa Bulletin arise. This article explains how the EB-3 visa quota is allocated and why some countries have to wait longer.
How the EB-3 visa quota is calculated
The US Congress sets the total number of employment-based immigrant visas each fiscal year. EB-3 is one of the preference categories and is allocated a portion of that total. When the number of applications exceeds the number of available visas, a backlog forms.
Because the total is limited, not everyone who applies is issued a visa right away. Processing order is based on the priority date, that is, the date the application began queuing. This is the foundation of the entire Visa Bulletin system.
Per-country limits
In addition to the overall total, the law also sets per-country limits: each country can receive no more than a set percentage of the total number of visas each year. This rule is meant to prevent a few countries from taking up all the available visas.
As a result, people born in countries with large numbers of applicants (such as some populous Asian countries) must wait considerably longer than those born in countries with fewer applications. This is why wait times vary so widely between countries.
Why you need to track the quota
The quota and visa usage change every fiscal year, causing the Visa Bulletin to fluctuate constantly. There are periods when priority dates advance quickly, and periods when they stall or retrogress.
Quý khách nên theo dõi monthly Visa Bulletin on the website of the US Department of State to know the exact quota situation and where your application stands, rather than relying on estimated figures.
Summary
The EB-3 visa quota is limited both overall and per country, which is the root cause of backlogs and the Visa Bulletin. People born in countries with many applicants generally wait longer. You should follow the official monthly Visa Bulletin to understand how the quota affects your case.
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References
- U.S. Department of State — The Visa Bulletin: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html
- USCIS — Employment-Based Immigration: Third Preference EB-3: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-third-preference-eb-3
Read more: Overview of the EB-3 visa for US immigration · Getting a US driver’s license: A guide for new immigrants
