US green card for foreign nurses (EB-3): steps and real waiting times for India and other countries

Most foreign nurses get a US green card through the EB-3 category: a US employer files an I-140 petition under Schedule A, which skips the usual labour market test, and you then wait for your priority date to become current in the Visa Bulletin. In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, the EB-3 final action date is 15 June 2024 for most countries, 15 August 2023 for the Philippines, and 22 January 2014 for India. In practice this means a wait of about 2 to 3 years for most countries, and well over 10 years for India.

The EB-3 route in seven steps

You also need a VisaScreen certificate before the visa is issued. Many nurses start it while they wait. PWD timing is from the DOL FLAG processing times page.

Schedule A: why nurses skip PERM recruitment

For most jobs, a US employer must first prove that no US worker is available (the PERM labour certification process, which currently takes many months). Registered nurses are on the Department of Labor's Schedule A shortage list. This means:

• The employer does not run the PERM recruitment and does not file with the Department of Labor's PERM centre.
• The employer files the labour certification form directly with USCIS, together with the I-140 petition.
• The employer still needs a prevailing wage determination and must post a notice of filing for its employees.

The employer must also show one of these for you (20 CFR 656.15(c)(2)):

• you have passed the NCLEX-RN, or
• you hold a full and unrestricted licence in the state where you will work, or
• you have a CGFNS (now TruMerit) Certificate.

In practice, almost all nurse employers want the NCLEX. See NCLEX-RN for international nurses.

Priority date and the Visa Bulletin explained

Only a limited number of EB-3 green cards are given each year, and no single country can take more than a set share. When demand is higher than supply, a queue forms.

• Your priority date is your place in the queue. For Schedule A nurses, it is the date USCIS receives the I-140.
• Each month the State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin. It gives a cut-off date for each category and country.
• If your priority date is before the cut-off, you are "current".
• Your country is your country of birth, not your passport. Nurses born in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Nepal and most other countries use the "All Chargeability Areas" column, often called "Rest of World".

The bulletin has two charts:

• Final Action Dates (Chart A): the visa can actually be issued if your date is before this.
• Dates for Filing (Chart B): an earlier signal. For consular cases, the National Visa Center (NVC) can ask you to submit fees and documents when your date is before this.

Current EB-3 dates (November 2026 Visa Bulletin)

Figures below are from the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, published in late October 2026, compared with October 2026. "Skilled workers and professionals" is the EB-3 sub-category for registered nurses.

For comparison, the EB-2 final action date in November 2026 is 1 November 2013 for India and 1 April 2025 for Rest of World. Some nurses with a degree and at least five years of experience are filed in EB-2, but for India it is not faster.

What these dates mean in real waiting time

A simple way to read the bulletin: the gap between today and the cut-off date shows how far behind the queue is right now.

The gap is not a promise. Movement depends on how many people are in the queue ahead of you, which nobody outside the government can see exactly. The queue can move faster than the gap suggests, or much slower.

Retrogression risk

Retrogression happens when a cut-off date moves backwards because too many people applied. It has happened to EB-3 several times, including for the Philippines and Rest of World in recent years. If you are current one month and the date retrogresses before your visa is issued, you must wait again. Nothing you did wrong causes this, and nothing you can pay will avoid it.

Practical steps:

• When you become documentarily qualified, submit everything to NVC quickly so you are ready for an interview.
• Keep your passport, police certificates and medical documents valid.
• Do not resign from your current job or sell property until the visa is in your passport.

VisaScreen

Foreign-educated nurses need a VisaScreen certificate from TruMerit (formerly CGFNS) before the immigrant visa can be issued. It checks your nursing education, your licence, your English test result (unless you are exempt) and your NCLEX pass. Fees from the TruMerit fee schedule: $740 for the application (including certificate), $650 extra for expedited review, and $475 for renewal. The certificate is valid for a limited time, so time it with your expected interview. Check the current English score requirements on TruMerit's site before you book a test.

Consular processing: from "current" to visa

1. NVC welcome letter. After I-140 approval, the case moves to the National Visa Center. You get a case number and login.
2. Fees and DS-260. When your date is before the date for filing, you pay the immigrant visa application fee (listed at $345 for employment-based cases; check the State Department fee page) and complete the online DS-260 form for you and each family member.
3. Civil documents. Upload birth certificates, marriage certificate, police certificates from each country you lived in, passport and the employer's job offer letter.
4. Interview scheduled once your date is before the final action date. In India, immigrant visa interviews are held at the US Consulate in Mumbai; in the Philippines, at the US Embassy in Manila.
5. Medical exam with an embassy-approved panel physician, including required vaccinations.
6. Interview, with your VisaScreen certificate.
7. Visa issued in your passport. Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee of $235 per person before you travel (USCIS fee schedule). Your green card is mailed after you arrive.

Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can usually come with you as derivatives, using your priority date.

2026 policy changes to check

• In January 2026 the State Department paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries. After a court order, the State Department says this pause has not been in effect since 21 August 2026 (State Department update).
• A separate presidential proclamation in force from 1 January 2026 restricts immigrant visas for nationals of a list of countries. Reports show Nigeria on the partial restriction list, which covers immigrant visas. If you are Nigerian or from another listed country, check the current position with an immigration lawyer before spending money.

Immigration policy has changed often in 2025 and 2026. Check travel.state.gov news before each major step.

Costs and who usually pays

Rupee amounts use about ₹95 per US dollar (late 2026; rates change).

US fees from the USCIS fee schedule (edition 26 October 2026). Under 20 CFR 656.12, an employer must not take payment from you for the labour certification. Many agencies also offer to pay your exam and visa costs in return for a contract of two to three years.

Typical total timeline

These are estimates based on the November 2026 bulletin and recent processing times. They are not forecasts.

Illustrative example

This is an illustrative example, not a real person. Grace was born in Kenya, so she is in the Rest of World queue. She passes the NCLEX in Nairobi in early 2026. A hospital in Texas offers her a job in March. The employer's PWD arrives in July, and the I-140 is received by USCIS in August 2026, which becomes her priority date. With premium processing it is approved in September. In November 2026 the final action date for Rest of World is June 2024, about 26 months behind her date. If the queue moves at a similar pace, she might become current around late 2028, but it could be later. She uses the wait to keep her Kenyan licence active and complete VisaScreen nearer the time.

A nurse born in India with the same August 2026 priority date would see a cut-off of January 2014, more than 12 years behind.

Common mistakes

• Believing a recruiter's promised arrival date. Only the Visa Bulletin decides when you can get a visa.
• Using your passport country instead of your birth country when reading the bulletin.
• Letting documents expire during the wait, especially passport, police certificates and VisaScreen.
• Paying the employer's I-140 or lawyer fees. Labour certification costs are the employer's legal responsibility.
• Quitting your job too early. Wait until the visa is issued.
• Ignoring children's ages. Children who reach 21 before the visa may lose derivative status; special rules may protect some. Ask a lawyer early.
• Thinking the NCLEX alone gives a visa. It does not.

Honest expectations

• For nurses born outside India and China, the EB-3 route is slow but realistic: often 3 to 6 years in total.
• For nurses born in India, the EB-3 wait is extremely long. Many Indian nurses choose the UK or Germany first and keep the US as a long-term option. See work as a nurse abroad.
• US policy can change quickly. Plan with buffers and keep your options open.
• No one can promise a visa date. Anyone who does is guessing.