Eligibility Criteria

Sub-categories

Evidence

Certification

Skilled Workers

  • You must be able to demonstrate at least 2 years of job experience or training
  • You must be performing work for which qualified workers are not available in the United States

Labor certification and a permanent, full-time job offer required.

Professionals

  • You must be able to demonstrate that you possess a U.S. baccalaureate degree or foreign degree equivalent, and that a baccalaureate degree is the normal requirement for entry into the occupation
  • You must be performing work for which qualified workers are not available in the United States
  • Education and experience may not be substituted for a baccalaureate degree

Labor certification and a permanent, full-time job offer required.

Unskilled Workers (Other Workers)

You must be capable, at the time the petition is filed on your behalf, of performing unskilled labor (requiring less than 2 years training or experience), that is not of a temporary or seasonal nature, for which qualified workers are not available in the United States.

Labor certification and a permanent, full-time job offer required.

Note: While eligibility requirements for the third preference classification are less stringent, you should be aware that a long backlog exists for visas in the "other workers" category. See the “Department of State: Visa Bulletin” page.