CASE: I-485 Adjustment of Status / I-140 (EB-3 Category) / Schedule A
EMPLOYER: Nursing / Rehabilitation Center
BENEFICIARY: Filipina Registered Nurse
LOCATION: Houston, TX
Our client is a Filipina registered nurse who currently resides in Overland Park, KS. Her prospective employer was willing to petition her for a third-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140) as a registered nurse.
Since she is a registered nurse, she is eligible for “Schedule A” classification. The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without first going to the DOL for a labor certification. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. The position of Professional Nurses is included in Schedule A.
Our client has a nursing degree and has a Texas Registered Nursing License. Our firm told her that her prospective employer can petition her as a Registered Nurse under the schedule A category. Our office was retained on May 8, 2019 and we started on her Prevailing Wage Request.
We filed the I-140 application on September 26, 2019 via regular processing. We included the job offer letter, notice of filing, and other necessary supporting documents. On October 24, 2019, our office filed an I-907 premium processing upgrade request for this petition. Without any Request for Evidence (RFE), on November 6, 2019, the I-140 was approved.
Once her I-140 was approved, she retained our office again for her and her husband’s I-485 adjustment of status applications. Our office filed an I-485 adjustment of status application for our clients on November 22, 2019. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices and fingerprint appointment came on time. Eventually, on November 27, 2020, their green card applications were approved without an interview.