The Houston Guide to Green Cards EB3
Houston is an exceedingly diverse metropolitan area in the US, vastly growing majorly due to its immigrant population. By 2013 the foreign community at Houston Texas had hit 1.4 million people who were an increase of 60% from the year 2000. The immigrant population has been reported to form a solid foundation for the Houston labor market, which is partly why most immigrants find this region to be a suitable region to get EB3 Green Cards. EB3 Green Cards are employment-based, whereby an individual seeking to acquire citizenship in the US permanently, does so by taking up employment. The Houston administrative system acknowledges the positive impact of the immigrant population in boosting its economy which is why EB3 visas are encouraged in this metropolitan region. However, an EB3 visa applicant is not only required to get employment in the US. Some procedures should be approved by the USCIS based your category (EB3). This article is meant to guide you on those processes for the EB3 category for those interested in being Houston residents.
How to Get an EB3 Green Card
Most people have the basic concept of what a Green Card is, here is a more elaborate illustration of what a Green Card is and how it functions in making you a US citizen.
What is a Green Card?
A Green Card is a document that entails proof of authorization by the United States government to permanently reside and work in the US. You are required to carry your Green Card wherever you go as you would your national identity card or driver’s license. Once you’ve had your Green Card for five years without compromise, you are legible to apply for US citizenship.
However, to be able to apply for a Green Card you have to be eligible to do so, the following are the general requirements that you should have to be eligible to apply for a Visa to the US;
- You should belong to one of the immigrant categories established in the Immigrant and Nationality Act (INA), which in this case is EB3 that is job or employment based.
- You must have filed a qualifying immigrant petition.
- You must be permissible in the US in factors such as health conduct among other things.
Getting the EB3 Green Card
As you already know an EB3 Green Card is an employment-based Visa, whereby the acquisition process is driven by the employer as you later will see in this article. As an EB3 applicant, you are expected to have either of the three necessary qualifications for eligibility in this Visa category. The three requirements include;
- Professional, which in this case is a bachelor’s degree or a foreign equivalent of the same in the field of employment that you will be seeking the Green Card through.
- Skilled Worker, whereby you are required to have two years of training or working experience in the least, relevant to the field of the employment that you are searching. That requirement is to be accompanied by a labor certification that demonstrates that there is no qualified United States citizen available to fill that position.
- Unskilled Worker, which is meant to cover a category of jobs that can be performed with less than two years training.
The Labor Certification Process
It is the first of three and the most fundamental stage in the EB3 Visa application process. This phase entails the filing of a petition to the Department of Labor (DOL), which is known as the PERM Labor Certification Process. PERM stands for Program Electronic Review Management and is expected to show that the potential employer tested the employment market and could not find any willing or qualified US citizen ready to fill the position. The Labor Certification process also includes the Prevailing Wage Determination (PWR), which involves posting and advertisement regulations of the job in question.
I-140 Immigration Application
After the certification of the Labor Certification Application by the DOL, you can file your I-140 immigration application. On this stage, the relevant offices verify whether you, the prospective employee meets the requirements specified in the PERM Labor Certification Application. They also check whether the potential employer can pay the stipulated wages to the employee.
I-485 Adjustment of Status
This stage is the third and final one, which is filed after the USCIS has approved your I-140 petition. Your Green Card status is based on your Green Card application number, which is made available per year, country or category. This stage is meant for adjustment of this figures in priority.
It is imperative that the prospective employer record and conduct all actions carried out during the application process. However, an employer may not be as well versed in all the essential requirements meant to acquire an EB3 Green Card successfully. That is why you need the advice and guidance of a professional and experienced attorney in this field. RunRex is among the best law firms with expert and experienced US immigration attorneys, which can be of great assistance to your course.