EB-3 Visa Lawyers in Tampa

100+ Years of Combined Experience Guiding Tampa Workers & Employers Through EB-3

The EB-3 visa is one of the most accessible paths to a U.S. green card for workers across a wide range of industries and education levels. At Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A., our Tampa-based immigration attorneys guide both employees and employers through the full process, from PERM labor certification and Form I-140 filing to the green card process. Our team brings more than 100 years of combined legal experience and a history spanning more than 40 years to every employment-based immigration case we handle.

If you’re a Tampa employer looking to sponsor a foreign national, or a worker seeking permanent residence through employment, contact Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A. today at (800) 708-4399 to discuss your options.

EB-3 Subcategories: Which One Applies to You?

The EB-3 preference category covers three distinct groups of workers. Identifying which subcategory fits your situation determines the education and experience requirements you’ll need to satisfy.

• Skilled Workers: Positions requiring at least two years of training or experience. The job can’t be temporary or seasonal, and the applicant must demonstrate the qualifying background.
• Professionals: Applicants who hold at least a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent in a field directly related to the offered position.
• Other Workers: Positions requiring less than two years of training or experience. This subcategory carries a separate annual visa sub-cap of up to 10,000 visas, which can affect wait times.

If the Form I-140 petition is approved, the principal applicant’s spouse and unmarried children under 21 may be eligible to apply for lawful permanent residence as derivatives, either alongside or after the principal applicant.

Employer Sponsorship & PERM Labor Certification

Every EB-3 visa begins with a permanent, full-time job offer from a U.S. employer willing to sponsor the worker. Before filing the immigrant petition, the employer must complete PERM labor certification through the Department of Labor. This requires a documented, good-faith recruitment effort: the employer must show that no qualified, willing U.S. workers applied for the position and that hiring the foreign national won’t adversely affect the wages or working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers.

PERM approval is mandatory before the employer can move forward with the immigrant petition. We assist multinational corporations, universities, research institutions, hospitals, and small businesses in Tampa and nationwide with every step of the sponsorship and labor certification process.

From I-140 Filing to Green Card: The EB-3 Process

Once the Department of Labor approves the PERM application, the employer files Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) with USCIS. Approval of the I-140 establishes the worker’s priority date, which is the filing date of the original petition. Visa numbers are then issued in chronological priority date order as they become available under the annual cap.

When a visa number becomes current, the worker may apply for permanent residence through one of two routes: adjustment of status if already in the United States, or consular processing if living abroad. The spouse and unmarried children under 21 of the principal applicant may qualify for derivative visas, which can allow them to live in the U.S., attend school, and, in the case of spouses, work for any employer.

EB-3 Visa Caps, Priority Dates, & Processing Timelines

Timing is one of the most consequential variables in any EB-3 case. Approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas are available each year across all five preference categories. The EB-3 category receives 28.6% of that total, and within that allocation, up to 10,000 visas are reserved for the Other Workers subcategory.

A per-country cap limits how many visas any single country’s nationals can receive annually, which means applicants from high-demand countries may face significantly longer waits than those from lower-demand countries in the same subcategory. The State Department’s monthly Visa Bulletin reflects which priority dates are currently current. Premium processing is available for the I-140 petition: for an additional fee, USCIS commits to acting within 15 business days, though this doesn’t affect movement in the visa queue itself.

Board-Certified Immigration Attorneys Serving Tampa

Attorneys at Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A. are Board-Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization & Education, a credential reflecting demonstrated knowledge and experience in this field. We manage employment-based cases from initial H-1B petitions through EB green cards, tailoring legal strategy to each client’s profession, background, and long-term immigration goals.

For employers, we advise on compliance, recruitment documentation, and sponsorship obligations. For individual workers, we track USCIS and Department of Labor developments, monitor priority date movement in the Visa Bulletin, and advise on adjustment of status versus consular processing based on each applicant’s specific circumstances.

Start Your EB-3 Case with Our Tampa Immigration Team

Whether you’re a Tampa-area employer navigating PERM for the first time or a foreign national working toward permanent residence, we’re ready to help you move forward. We offer multilingual services, including Spanish (Se habla Español), so language is never a barrier to getting the guidance you need.

Call Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A. at (800) 708-4399 to speak with one of our Tampa immigration attorneys about your EB-3 case.