US immigration and visa sponsorship can be confusing. At Greenstaff Medical, we want to make this process easy to understand and help international nurses know how they can take their careers to the US.
EB-3 is a visa preference category for United States employment-based permanent residency. It is intended for "skilled workers", "professionals", and "other workers" to go to the US permanently and work there.
Attempting to get a Green Card is a crucial process. Any slight misstep could result in a refusal after all of the efforts you put into your application. We have helped many individuals successfully get US permanent residence through employment-based petitions, and we can help you too!
Once you are offered a position by a company - this starts the process of immigrating to the US.
The first step is to pass the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination - a US exam)– which can take several months of studying.
Once you have passed the exam, the company will file an I-140 petition to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) on your behalf. The makes up a large set of documents that includes required government forms, nursing background information, and information about the employer.
The USCIS is the government entity that oversees immigration. They have the power to approve, deny or request more evidence for I-140. If more information is requested this can delay the immigration process, however, it most often leads to approval.
Once approved, the USCIS will assign a priority date – this is the worker's place in line for a Visa -based on the date the petition is filed. It is first come first serve basis – but nationality also factors into place in line. Some countries have a longer wait time due to greater demand.
Once your date is current, you will be able to continue through the immigration process.
This can take up to 6 months, or even longer.
While you wait, it is beneficial to pass the IELTS exam, which is another required test that measures English language proficiency. Thereafter you will be ready to enter the immigrant visa stage which is controlled by the government entity - known as the National Visa Centre (NVC).
There are multiple steps in this stage, but it's most important to know that the petitioner is paying fees and submitting more documents on behalf of the nurse to the NVC for approval.
Just like the USCIS, the NVC can request more documents which can delay the process.
Greenstaff Medical will be working to get you through this stage to receive a case complete. Once you receive your case complete from the NVC, the last step is to attend a US Embassy interview.
Greenstaff Medical will prepare you for the interview with the required documents, a complete medical exam, and what to expect in the interview.
Once passed, your visa will be approved and you’ll be able to move to the US, receive a green card, and begin your nursing career! What are you waiting for? Your American Dream awaits you!
