Unskilled Worker (EB-3 Other Workers): Definition, Jobs and How the Visa Works

An unskilled worker is someone who does a job that requires less than two years of training or experience. In U.S. immigration, unskilled workers can get a green card through the EB-3 “Other Workers” category. To qualify, a U.S. employer must sponsor you for a permanent, full-time job.

This page explains what “unskilled” means in everyday language and in the law, which jobs usually qualify, what you and your employer require, and how the EB-3 unskilled visa process works. It also covers how long it takes, who pays for what, and how to bring your family.

The short version: the requirements are simple, but the line could be long. Read this before you decide.

Unskilled Worker at a Glance

The employer sets the job’s requirements, such as experience, training and education, within the limits for EB-3 Other Workers. The law sets the rest, such as the yearly limit.

Question	Answer
Official name	EB-3 Other Workers (often called “EB-3 unskilled”)
What you get	A green card (permanent residence), not a temporary work visa
Training or experience the job can require	Set by the employer, and always less than 2 years. Many jobs require none
Degree required?	No. Some employers may require basic schooling or basic English. If so, the job listing will say so
Job offer required?	Yes. A full-time, permanent, year-round job with a U.S. employer
Labor certification required?	Yes. Your employer must get PERM approval from the Department of Labor
Yearly limit	10,000 visas, including family members
Family	Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can come with you
Typical wait	48+ months. See current EB-3 visa processing times
Current line (November 2026)	Final Action Date for most countries: June 1, 2022

What Is an Unskilled Worker?

The Everyday Meaning

In everyday English, an unskilled worker does a job most people can learn on the job in a short time. Examples include restaurant crew members, cleaners, packers and line workers.

Many employers now prefer the term “entry-level,” because these jobs still take real effort, speed and care. That’s fair. In immigration, “unskilled” is a legal label about how much training the job requires. It is not a judgment about you or your abilities.

The Legal Meaning for EB-3

The immigration regulations define an “other worker” as a person who can perform “unskilled labor (requiring less than two years training or experience), not of a temporary or seasonal nature, for which qualified workers are not available in the United States” (8 CFR 204.5(l)(2)).

In plain words, the job must pass three tests:

1. Less than 2 years of training or experience. The job can require some experience, such as 3 or 6 months, but less than 2 years.
2. Not temporary or seasonal. The job must be permanent and full-time, all year. A summer-only job doesn’t qualify.
3. No qualified U.S. workers available. Your employer proves this through the PERM labor certification process. That includes recruiting in the U.S. first.

“Unskilled” vs. “Other Workers”

These are the same category. The law uses the name “Other Workers” (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(3)(A)(iii)). Most people searching online call it the EB-3 unskilled visa or “EB-3 unskilled worker.” On eb3.work we use both terms, so you can match what you read here with the official forms and the visa bulletin.

Who Decides If a Job Is Unskilled?

This part surprises many people: the job decides your category, not your background.

The regulation says the choice between skilled and Other Workers “will be based on the requirements of training and/or experience placed on the job by the prospective employer, as certified by the Department of Labor” (8 CFR 204.5(l)(4)).

Two examples:

• Ana has a university degree. She accepts a hotel housekeeping job that requires no experience. Her employer files her case as Other Workers, because the job does not require prior work experience. Her degree doesn’t change that.
• Marco has no degree. He accepts a job that requires 2 years of experience as a welder. His case is filed as skilled worker, because the job requires 2 or more years of experience.

What this means for you:

• You must meet whatever the employer listed on the PERM. If the job requires 3 months of experience in a kitchen, you need proof of 3 months in a kitchen.
• USCIS checks this at the I-140 stage. The petition must include evidence that you meet “any educational, training and experience, and other requirements of the labor certification” (8 CFR 204.5(l)(3)(ii)(D)).
• Keep your employment letters. Letters from past employers with your dates, job title and duties are the usual proof. Collect them early.

If the job requires no experience at all, you still need to meet the other requirements on the PERM, if any.

Unskilled vs. Skilled vs. Professional

EB-3 has three subcategories. They share one green card category, but they don’t share one line.

	Other Workers (unskilled)	Skilled Workers	Professionals
Training or experience the job requires	Less than 2 years	At least 2 years	A U.S. bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent
Degree required	No	No	Yes
Yearly limit	10,000 (inside the EB-3 total)	Shares the rest of the EB-3 total	Shares the rest of the EB-3 total
Final Action Date, most countries (Nov. 2026)	June 1, 2022	June 15, 2024	June 15, 2024
Examples	Crew member, cleaner, packer	Jobs with 2+ years of required experience	Jobs that require a degree

eb3.work focuses only on Other Workers: entry-level jobs that don’t require a degree.

Why Other Workers Waits Longer

The law gives EB-3 up to 28.6% of the yearly employment-based green cards. The yearly employment-based total is at least 140,000. Inside EB-3, no more than 10,000 visas a year can go to Other Workers (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(3)).

Many more people apply as Other Workers than that limit allows, so the line moves slowly. That’s why the Other Workers date in the table above is two years behind the skilled date.

For a broader comparison, see EB-2 vs EB-3 and EB-3 vs other work visas.

Common EB-3 Unskilled Jobs

These are the kinds of jobs U.S. employers most often sponsor through EB-3 Other Workers. Each row links to the EB-3 jobs list on eb3.work.

Industry	Example jobs	Learn more
Fast food and quick-service restaurants	Crew member, cook, food prep	EB-3 jobs list
Restaurants	Dishwasher, prep cook, busser	EB-3 jobs list
Manufacturing and assembly	Line worker, packer, machine helper	EB-3 jobs list
Cleaning and janitorial	Commercial cleaner, janitor	EB-3 jobs list
Hotels	Housekeeper, laundry worker	EB-3 jobs list
Construction	Construction laborer, helper	EB-3 jobs list
Food processing and warehousing	Meat and poultry processing, order picker	EB-3 jobs list
Trucking support	Yard worker, loader	EB-3 jobs list
Caregiving	Home care aide, personal care aide (entry-level roles only)	EB-3 jobs list

What usually doesn’t qualify:

• Seasonal jobs, such as most farm work or summer resort work. EB-3 jobs must be permanent and year-round. Seasonal jobs usually use temporary visas like H-2A or H-2B instead.
• Jobs that require a license or degree, such as nursing. Those fall under other categories.

To see open positions, browse the EB-3 jobs list.

Requirements for the EB-3 Unskilled Visa

For You (the Beneficiary)

In immigration terms, you are the beneficiary: the person the petition is for. You need to:

• Meet the job’s stated requirements, such as any short experience requirement listed on the PERM.
• Be admissible to the U.S. This means passing a medical exam, providing police certificates and not having certain criminal or immigration problems in your past.
• Intend to do the job. The green card is based on a real job offer. You should plan to work in that job when you arrive or when your green card is approved.

A degree is not required. English is not a legal requirement for the EB-3 visa. Some employers do require basic English for safety or customer contact, and the job listing will say so. Basic English also helps a lot with your interview and daily life.

Documents to Start Gathering Now

Most delays on the worker’s side come from missing documents. You don’t need everything on day one, but it helps to start early:

• Passport, valid for at least six months beyond your expected travel date. Renew it now if it expires soon.
• Birth certificate for you and for each family member coming with you.
• Marriage certificate, if you are bringing your spouse, plus divorce or death certificates from any earlier marriages.
• Employment letters that prove any experience the job requires, with dates, job title and duties.
• Police certificates from each country where you have lived for a long period. Some countries take months to issue them.
• Translations of any document not in English, with a statement that the translation is correct.

Keep copies in one folder, both paper and digital. Your employer or its attorney will tell you which ones are required at each stage.

For the Employer (the Petitioner)

Your employer is the petitioner: the company that files for you. The employer must:

• Offer a real, full-time, permanent job.
• Pay at least the prevailing wage, the wage the Department of Labor (DOL) sets for that job in that area.
• Complete PERM recruitment and get the labor certification approved.
• Show it can pay the wage.
• File the I-140 petition with USCIS.

The employer usually works with an immigration attorney. In eb3.work’s program, that attorney represents only the employer. Workers in our program do not hire a lawyer. In general, a worker can choose to hire their own lawyer for advice, but the employer’s attorney is not the worker’s lawyer.

Can You Get an EB-3 Visa Without a Job Offer?

No. There is no self-petition for Other Workers. You need a U.S. employer that agrees to sponsor you, completes PERM and files the I-140 for you.

How the EB-3 Unskilled Visa Process Works

Here is the process in short. For more detail on each step, see the EB-3 visa process, every step explained.

1. Find an employer that sponsors. Start with the EB-3 jobs list.
2. Prevailing wage request (ETA-9141). Your employer requests a prevailing wage determination from DOL. See ETA Form 9141.
3. PERM labor certification (ETA-9089). The employer recruits in the U.S., then files Form ETA-9089. The filing date becomes your priority date, your place in line.
4. I-140 petition. After PERM approval, the employer petitions USCIS with Form I-140.
5. Wait for your priority date to be current. Each month the State Department publishes the visa bulletin. The EB-3 unskilled visa bulletin row is labeled “Other Workers.” See the latest monthly bulletin update.
6. Apply for the green card. If you’re in the U.S. and eligible, you file Form I-485. If you’re abroad, you go through consular processing: the DS-260, documents, a medical exam and an interview.
7. Become a permanent resident. You enter the U.S. on your immigrant visa (or get your green card approved in the U.S.) and start the job.

Already in the U.S. on another visa? See H-2B to EB-3 or F-1 to EB-3.

How Long Does the EB-3 Unskilled Visa Take?

Nobody can promise you a date. Anyone who does is guessing or selling something. What you can understand is the three blocks of time:

1. The paperwork stage. Prevailing wage, PERM and the I-140. DOL review times change often. See PERM processing time for that stage.
2. The line. After the I-140, you wait for your priority date to become current. This is usually the longest part for Other Workers. In November 2026, the Final Action Date for most countries (including Mexico) is June 1, 2022. That means a worker whose PERM was filed before June 1, 2022 can now get a green card approved. A worker whose PERM was filed in 2024 is still waiting.
3. The final stage. I-485 processing in the U.S., or NVC and the interview abroad.

Your country of birth matters. No single country can use more than 7% of the yearly green cards in a category. In November 2026, India’s Other Workers date is in 2014 and China’s is in 2019, years behind most other countries.

For total, up-to-date numbers, see EB-3 visa processing times. Dates can also move backward. This is called retrogression.

A bill that would change this. The Dignity Act (H.R. 4393) would stop counting spouses and children against the yearly green card limits, so more visas would go to workers. It would also raise the 7% per-country limit and aims to clear the employment-based backlog. It is not law yet, and its text could change. eb3.work supports this bill.

How Much Does the EB-3 Unskilled Visa Cost?

Costs depend on the employer, the program and where you apply from. Here is who pays what under the rules:

• PERM labor certification: the employer pays. The employer “must not seek or receive payment of any kind for any activity related to obtaining permanent labor certification” (20 CFR 656.12(b)). That includes recruitment and the employer’s attorney fees for PERM.
• I-140 fees: either side can pay. The filing fee and optional premium processing can be paid by the employer or the worker. Only the employer or its attorney signs and files the petition.
• Green card stage: usually the worker. This includes I-485 fees (in the U.S.) or the DS-260 and immigrant fees (abroad), plus the medical exam, police certificates, passport and travel.

Red flag: if anyone requests payment from you for the job offer itself or for the PERM, stop. That’s against the rules, and it’s a common sign of a scam.

Bringing Your Family

Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can get green cards with you as “derivatives.” They use your priority date, so they wait in the same line.

Two things to know:

• They count against the 10,000 limit. Each family member uses one visa number, the same as you.
• Children can “age out” at 21. The Child Status Protection Act can protect some children. Check with the EB-3 CSPA calculator and read more about dependents in the EB-3 process.

Pros and Cons of the Unskilled Worker Route

Pros	Cons
No degree required	Long wait, often several years
A real path to a green card, not a temporary visa	You must take the sponsored job
Your spouse and children come with you	Only 10,000 visas a year, family included
Many common jobs qualify	Some countries wait much longer than others
Once you’re a permanent resident, you can build a life in the U.S.	If the employer withdraws early, you may need to start over

About employer withdrawal: if your employer withdraws the I-140 after it has been approved for 180 days or more, the approval generally stays valid for keeping your priority date. Read more in the I-140 guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find EB-3 Unskilled Jobs

The EB-3 unskilled visa always starts with a job. Until an employer agrees to sponsor you and files your PERM, you don’t have a place in line.

Browse open positions on the EB-3 jobs list, and read how the eb3.work process works before you apply.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State: Visa Bulletin for November 2026
• Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School): 8 CFR 204.5, Petitions for employment-based immigrants
• Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School): 8 U.S.C. 1153, Allocation of immigrant visas
• eb3.work: Support the Dignity Act (H.R. 4393) (bill summary; not law as of November 2026)