Why did EB-3 rest of world retrogress?

Retrogression generally happens when demand is on track to exceed the year's numbers. The bulletin notes usually explain the specific move.

Is Other Workers the same line as EB-3?

No. It has its own row and a 10,000 annual cap, so its dates can differ.

Do Schedule A nurses skip the bulletin?

No. Schedule A skips PERM recruitment, not the visa queue.

How does EB-3 (and the Other Workers row) move in the Visa Bulletin?

Updated November 12, 2026 · Not legal advice

EB-3 (skilled workers, professionals and other workers) gets up to 28.6% of the employment-based limit plus numbers EB-1 and EB-2 leave unused. Unskilled "Other Workers" have their own row because the law caps them at 10,000 visas a year, so that row is often behind the main EB-3 row.

EB-3: current cutoff dates

See the current bulletin for this month's EB-3 dates: official Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov. We do not copy dates by hand, so this page shows them only after our automated fetch has read the official bulletin.

USCIS says employment-based adjustment applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin (USCIS filing charts).

EB-3 rows (INA 203(b)(3))
Row	Who	Limit
3rd	Skilled workers (2+ years training/experience), professionals with a bachelor's degree	28.6% of the EB limit plus unused EB-1/EB-2, shared with Other Workers
Other Workers	Unskilled labor (under 2 years training/experience)	No more than 10,000 per year

Nurses and Schedule A

Most foreign-educated registered nurses immigrate in EB-3 under Schedule A, which skips the PERM recruitment test but not the visa queue. Their priority date is the date the I-140 is filed, and they wait on the regular EB-3 cutoff for their country. Large numbers of nurse petitions can push EB-3 (rest of world and Philippines) back when demand exceeds the year's numbers.

EB-3 vs EB-2: which is ahead?

For some countries and months, EB-3 is ahead of EB-2. Applicants with an approved EB-2 sometimes file a new EB-3 I-140 ("downgrade") to use the faster line. Compare both rows in your column; see EB-2 vs EB-3 India.

Movement history

This table is built month by month from the official bulletins as we read them, so it only shows months we have fetched. Until then, past bulletins are in the official archive.

Quick answers

Why did EB-3 rest of world retrogress?: Retrogression generally happens when demand is on track to exceed the year's numbers. The bulletin notes usually explain the specific move.
Is Other Workers the same line as EB-3?: No. It has its own row and a 10,000 annual cap, so its dates can differ.
Do Schedule A nurses skip the bulletin?: No. Schedule A skips PERM recruitment, not the visa queue.

What to do next: get your Visa Bulletin alert

Pick EB-3 and your country: we alert you the day it moves, including retrogressions in the main row or Other Workers.

Free: 1 category, checked daily, email. Pro $5/month: checks every 4 hours, SMS + push, movement history and estimates. Compare plans.

Sources

Checked: November 12, 2026