EB-3 Visa Bulletin for Other Workers (EW-3) — Priority Dates Explained

The U.S. Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin every month to show which priority dates are current for each employment-based category. For EB-3 Other Workers (EW-3 / unskilled), the key row is labeled "Other Workers." Your place in line is determined by your priority date — the date your employer filed the PERM labor certification with the Department of Labor.

Final Action Dates vs. Dates for Filing

• Final Action Dates (FAD) — The controlling chart. Your priority date must be earlier than (or equal to) the FAD to receive a visa number and complete your green card.
• Dates for Filing (DFF) — When USCIS allows it, applicants with a date earlier than the DFF can file Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) to lock in the filing date even if their FAD is not yet current.

Why the Other Workers row moves slowly

EW-3 / Other Workers is subject to roughly 10,000 visas per year across all countries (minus dependency numbers). High demand from workers in retrogressed countries — historically China, India, and the Philippines — consumes a large portion of the annual allocation, causing dates for other countries to advance slowly and sometimes retrograde.

What "retrogression" means

When visa demand outpaces supply, the State Department moves the cutoff date backward. If your priority date was previously current and retrogresses, you temporarily cannot receive a visa number — but your I-140 and PERM approval remain valid. You wait for the date to advance again.

How to read your priority date

1. Find your PERM filing date on your ETA-9089 approval notice — this is your priority date.
2. Check the current month's Visa Bulletin, "Other Workers" row, column for your country of chargeability (usually your country of birth).
3. If your priority date is earlier than the cutoff shown, your date is current.
4. If your priority date is later than the cutoff, you are still waiting.

Stay current

Immilink updates priority date data on this page each month directly from the State Department bulletin. Bookmark this page or enable Visa Bulletin alerts in your Immilink client portal to be notified the moment your date becomes current.