Important Information Regarding Employment-Based Visas

The State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services regret to announce that all available Employment-Based Third Preference (EB-3) and Other Workers (EW) visas for fiscal year (FY) 2024 have been issued. This means that no further visas in these categories can be issued until October 1, 2024, the start of FY 2025.

This allocation adheres to the limitations set by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which caps the number of employment-based preference immigrant visas annually. Specifically, INA 203(b)(3) restricts EB-3 visas to 28.6 percent of the worldwide employment limit, with a maximum of 10,000 available for the EW category. While this process ensures the integrity of our immigration system, we understand this may cause inconvenience for applicants.

Embassies and consulates will resume processing applications for EB-3 and EW immigrant visas once the annual limits reset on October 1, 2024.