EB-3 Visa Retrogression and its Impact on Green Card Applicants
The May 2024 EB-3 Visa Bulletin
Our registered nurses usually immigrate under an EB-3 Consular Green Card. Right now, U.S. immigration laws only allow a certain number of individuals per country each year into the United States for EB-3 Green Card and immigrant visa purposes.
Immigration also looks at the various countries around the world. The dates in the Visa Bulletin beside the countries reflect the cut-off date. If your priority date is before the date listed in the chart beside your country, you are not under retrogression and are eligible for a visa interview. If your priority date for your country is after the dates listed, you are under retrogression.
What is EB-3 Visa Retrogression?
The U.S. Immigration EB-3 (Employment Based) Consular Green Card is the most common permanent visa for RNs. EB-3 green cards usually provide a much faster path to US immigration. Retrogression happens when the demand for visas is greater than the number of available visas. Basically, there is a backlog of visa applications that cannot be processed immediately. The EB-3 Immigrant Visa will be processed only once the cut-off date in the chart above becomes “current.” Retrogression is a common event that may occur during any fiscal year.
What Should I Do Next?
Continue or begin the visa process! It’s important to get in the queue to be one of the first nurses to immigrate to the USA once retrogression is over. You may experience a delay due to the current retrogression, however, it is unknown how long the delay will take. Let us take a detailed look at the EB-3 Consular Green Card process and why it’s so important to continue or get started.
EB3 Retrogression and the Journey to a Green Card
There are five steps in the EB-3 Green Card process the need to be completed before you receive your Green Card. Retrogression does not affect every stage! Here's an overview of the process for international nurses looking to work in the USA:
The current retrogression delay is happening at Step 4: Consulate Interview at the US Embassy.
You can still begin and/or complete steps 1, 2 and/or 3. Currently, once a healthcare facility or healthcare staffing agency completes Step 1, nurse green card applications will continue to process through Steps 1 and 2.
However, these applications will remain at the National Visa Center as “documentarily qualified” until a visa number is available and a consulate interview at a US embassy can be scheduled.
Get in the EB-3 Immigration Queue Now!
Obtaining a green card is like going to a movie theater. You can still purchase a ticket and get in the queue outside, even if the doors aren’t open yet. Your place in the queue affects how fast you will enter the theater when they open the doors. Similarly, even if the US government is not currently scheduling consulate interview appointments, Connetics USA and healthcare facilities can still get the process started and help you with getting in line to be scheduled. Apply now to start your process!
We'll Support You Throughout the Process
Our nursing agency has decades of experience with Immigration and has managed multiple visa retrogressions. We highly encourage new candidates to complete the initial stages of the visa process, even if there is a current pause in the later stages.