25 EB-3 Visa Statistics Every Applicant Should Know in 2026

The EB-3 Green Card is the employment-based third preference, covering skilled workers, professionals with a U.S. bachelor's degree, and other (unskilled) workers. For most applicants the binding constraint is not the petition but visa availability: the category is capped each year, demand exhausts it, and a large queue of approved petitions waits for a number. As of June 2026, the EB-3 priority date for India sits more than a decade behind the filing date, while applicants from most other countries move faster. The figures below come from the government bodies that publish them: the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Labor, USCIS, and the Congressional Research Service.

EB-3 Green Card Issuance Statistics

1. 48,550 people obtained EB-3 green cards in FY 2024. The Department of Homeland Security's Yearbook of Immigration Statistics counts this as the number of skilled worker, professional, and other worker immigrants who became lawful permanent residents that year.
2. More EB-3 recipients adjusted status from inside the U.S. than arrived from abroad in FY 2024. The breakdown for FY 2024 will be available in the DHS Yearbook once its lawful-permanent-resident tables are published; the State Department's FY 2024 data confirms 22,249 EB-3 immigrant visas were issued at consulates abroad.
3. 22,249 EB-3 immigrant visas were issued at U.S. consulates abroad in FY 2024. The State Department's Report of the Visa Office records 16,205 going to skilled workers and professionals and 6,044 to the Other Workers (unskilled) subcategory.
4. Skilled workers and professionals took about 73% of consular EB-3 visas in FY 2024. The split (16,205 of 22,249) reflects how small the Other Workers subcategory is by comparison, constrained by its own annual sub-cap.

EB-3 Allocation and Demand Statistics

1. EB-3 receives 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based limit, about 40,000 visas in a typical year. The 28.6% share is fixed by statute under INA 203(b)(3); the actual visa count floats year to year with the roughly 140,000 worldwide limit, and EB-3 can also draw any unused EB-1 and EB-2 numbers.
2. Within EB-3, no more than 10,000 visas a year may go to the "Other Workers" (unskilled) subcategory. Because that sub-cap is small relative to demand, the Other Workers subcategory carries its own, often longer, waits.
3. A 7% per-country ceiling limits the preference visas any single country's natives can use in a year. Set by INA 202, the cap applies across the combined family and employment preference system, and it is what pushes high-demand countries like India and China into long EB-3 backlogs even when the category stays available worldwide.
4. All available FY 2024 EB-3 and Other Worker visas were used by August 16, 2024. The State Department announced the categories had reached their annual limits about six weeks before the fiscal year ended.
5. The FY 2025 EB-3 and Other Worker limits were reached on September 9, 2025. For the second year in a row, demand exhausted the annual allocation before the fiscal year closed.

EB-3 Processing Time Statistics

1. PERM labor certification analyst review averaged 501 calendar days, about 16.5 months, as of the DOL's March 2026 data. The Department of Labor's FLAG dashboard posts this figure, and EB-3 cases that require labor certification must clear this step before the I-140 is even filed. See Manifest's PERM processing times tracker for the current number.
2. When the Department of Labor audits a PERM case, it moves into a separate review queue. That audit queue averaged 343 calendar days as of March 2026, adding many months on top of the standard analyst review.
3. Premium processing commits USCIS to act on an EB-3 I-140 within 15 business days. For an additional fee, USCIS guarantees an adjudicative action, meaning an approval, denial, or request for evidence, within 15 business days for EB-3, versus 45 business days for EB-1C and EB-2 NIW petitions. It changes only the I-140 timeline, not whether a visa number is available.

EB-3 Priority Date and Backlog Statistics

1. The EB-3 final action date for India was Jan. 1, 2014 in the July 2026 visa bulletin. That places the cutoff more than 12 years behind the filing date for Indian nationals.
2. The EB-3 final action date for China was Dec. 22, 2021 in July 2026. China's EB-3 cutoff is years more current than India's but still reflects a multi-year wait.
3. India and China both advanced in EB-3 for June 2026. The State Department moved India's final action date forward two weeks, from Dec. 15, 2013, to Jan. 1, 2014, and China's by about four and a half months, from Aug. 1 to Dec. 22, 2021.
4. About 758,250 approved employment-based petitions were waiting for a visa number as of June 2024. The Congressional Research Service, citing USCIS data, documented this approved-and-waiting queue, which is what produces the long EB-3 timelines for oversubscribed countries.

India-Specific EB-3 Statistics

1. Only 511 EB-3 immigrant visas were issued to India-born applicants at consulates in FY 2024. That low consular number, per the State Department, is a product of retrogression: with the India cutoff stuck in 2013, most Indian EB-3 demand sits in the queue or moves through adjustment of status rather than consular issuance, so it understates India's real EB-3 interest.
2. Indian nationals received 18,800 employment-based Green Cards across all categories in FY 2024, about 11% of the total. India ranked second among countries of origin for employment-based green cards that year, behind China, as retrogression limited the numbers available to Indian nationals, per the Department of Homeland Security.
3. India led employment-based Green Card origin countries for two decades before China overtook it in FY 2024. Indian nationals received 18,506 of these green cards in FY 2003, 35,720 in FY 2013, 28,570 in FY 2023, and 18,800 in FY 2024

Other Country-Specific EB-3 Statistics

1. The Philippines was the largest single source of consular EB-3 visas in FY 2024, with 9,179. That is about 41% of the 22,249 issued worldwide, per the State Department, and most were skilled workers and professionals (8,157 of the 9,179).
2. The EB-3 final action date for the Philippines was Aug. 1, 2023 in June 2026, more current than India or China. The State Department warned that rising Philippine demand could require retrogressing that date in the coming months.
3. Filipino employment-based immigrants are concentrated overwhelmingly in healthcare, primarily nursing. The Congressional Research Service notes this concentration, which drives a meaningful share of EB-3 demand in the skilled-worker and professional subcategories tied to healthcare roles.
4. China received 434 consular EB-3 visas in FY 2024 and 29,140 employment-based Green Cards across all categories in FY 2024. The all-category figure, about 17% of the total, made China the largest source country, ahead of India, per State Department and Department of Homeland Security data.

EB-3 vs. EB-2 Comparison Statistics

1. EB-3 requires an employer and PERM labor certification; the EB-2 NIW does not. This is the central trade-off between EB-2 and EB-3: EB-3 is employer-sponsored and tied to a labor-market test, while the National Interest Waiver allows an applicant to self-petition without an employer.
2. Visa bulletin movement sometimes makes EB-3 faster than EB-2 for the same applicant. When the EB-3 final action date is more current than EB-2 for a given country, some applicants with an approved EB-2 petition file to "downgrade" to EB-3, which is why comparing the two cutoffs each month matters. Manifest's EB-2 vs. EB-2 NIW guide walks through how the categories differ.

What These EB-3 Numbers Mean for Your Filing

The EB-3 data tells a consistent story: the category stays in demand, but the Green Card depends on a visa number that can take years to reach an applicant from a backlogged country. The variables an applicant and employer can actually influence are the ones that happen before the wait, namely a clean PERM labor certification, a well-documented I-140, and choosing the right category and country chargeability when options exist. Manifest's immigration attorneys handle employment-based green cards across EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3, with flat upfront pricing and case tracking through the Manifest portal. To see where you stand on the EB-3 pathway, request a consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many EB-3 Green Cards are issued each year?

In FY 2024, the Department of Homeland Security counted 48,550 people obtaining EB-3 lawful permanent resident status, split between 25,100 who adjusted status inside the U.S. and 23,450 who arrived from abroad. The statutory cap is lower, about 40,000 in a typical year (28.6% of the roughly 140,000 worldwide employment-based limit), but unused numbers from other categories can lift the actual total.

How long is the EB-3 backlog?

It depends entirely on country of birth. As of the July 2026 visa bulletin, the EB-3 final action date for India is Jan. 1, 2014 and for China is Dec. 22, 2021, while most other countries are within a few years of current. The State Department updates these cutoffs monthly in the visa bulletin.

Why is India's EB-3 number so low if demand is high?

Because retrogression diverts it. With India's EB-3 cutoff stuck in 2013, only 511 India-born applicants received EB-3 visas at consulates in FY 2024. The real demand sits in the approved-and-waiting queue rather than in current issuance, which is why the State Department documents a backlog of hundreds of thousands of approved employment-based petitions waiting for numbers.

How long does PERM take for an EB-3 case?

As of the Department of Labor's March 2026 data, PERM analyst review averaged 501 calendar days, about 16.5 months, with audited cases routed to a separate queue that averaged 343 calendar days. PERM must be completed before the I-140 is filed, so it sits at the front of the EB-3 timeline for cases that require labor certification.

Is EB-3 faster than EB-2?

Sometimes. EB-2 generally has higher placement in line, but when a country's EB-3 final action date is more current than its EB-2 date, some applicants with an approved EB-2 petition file to move to EB-3. Whether that helps depends on the current visa bulletin and the applicant's priority date, so the two cutoffs are worth comparing each month.

Weighing an EB-3 green card? Request a consultation with Manifest Law to talk through your category, your priority date, and the realistic timeline for your case.

Disclaimer. This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it, or contacting Manifest Law through this site, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law changes frequently, and the information here is current only as of the publication date. For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This communication is attorney advertising.