Many people want the famous Green Card, but did you know that there are several forms of application that provide legalization in the United States? At the Imigra Foundation, for example, we work with the EB-3 visa process, focusing on the Green Card modality for job offers that can be qualified or less qualified.

It is important to point out that there is the possibility of applying for the EB-3 for jobs that are considered qualified and require a bachelor’s degree, but we generally prefer the second wave of applications for less qualified jobs in simpler positions, that is, when a diploma is not necessary to be able to carry out the work offered. But how does the process work?

First, it is necessary to understand that the EB-3 requires a sponsor, as it is with him that the process will begin. The sponsor is nothing more than a company, or if the employer is a family home, a US citizen or Permanent Resident. Family homes also generate job vacancies such as nanny, cleaning lady, caregivers or cook, for example.

So the first step for those who want to join the EB-3 process to acquire their Green Card for work is precisely this: finding a sponsor. There are agencies that offer the service of finding a sponsor for those who want to get a job in the US, but we emphasize that we do not work with this type of approach.

Ideally, the person should find their sponsor by naturally searching among acquaintances, establishments and companies that may be interested in hiring. After finding the sponsor for the EB-3 application, it is possible to start with the procedure that will be divided into a few steps.

The first stage consists of Labor Certification, a petition by the US employer to the Government to determine what the salary would be for that job position he wants to offer.

After that, the recruitment stage takes place. In this case, there will be a determination by the Department of Labor so that this job offer is first announced on websites and newspapers to find out if there is any American interested in occupying the position.

After the recruitment period and if there is no qualified American citizen available or interested to fill the vacancy, it will be possible to file the Labor Certification Application (LC) with the Department of Labor and present the Immigrant petition with Immigration, where the Sponsor will indicate a foreigner available to occupy that job vacancy he is offering.

After analysis by the Department of Labor (DOL), and the result being positive, from then on the process will be with immigration. First by filing the immigrant petition, I-140.

Then comes the Application for Adjustment of Status for Permanent Resident phase, the famous application for a Green Card for foreigners, along with applications for work and travel authorization.

Both the Labor Certification Application step and the immigrant petition step are reconcilable and can be done at the same time in some cases. This is determined by the US Department of State, which publishes the Visa Bulletin monthly, listing the dates available for applying for a Green Card.

The whole process can take around 24 months or more to complete. After approval of the application, the Green Card will be issued abroad.

If the applicant is outside the United States, the process will be consular, and the applicant will be admitted to the United States through an immigrant visa issued by the Department of State.

Do you understand what it is and how this process works? Leave a comment if you have any questions.