Schedule A I-140
Schedule A I-140
Most employment-based Green Card applications require a PERM Labor Certification, which the U.S. Department of Labor certifies there are no available qualified, able workers and that hiring non-U.S. workers will not negatively affect the U.S. Cases falling under Schedule A bypass the need for a test of the labor market and application with the U.S. Department of Labor under the standard PERM labor certification process. While this does not necessarily mean that all cases are approvable or will be handled quickly, this process allows such cases to skip the first and most time-consuming part of the employment-based green card process. Schedule A cases are initiated by filing an I-140 petition with USCIS in either the EB-2 or EB-3 classification, depending upon the position requirements.
The U.S. Department of Labor has a list of “Schedule A” occupations, which currently includes two groups:
Group I: Physical Therapists and Professional Nurses.
Group II: Individuals of “exceptional ability” in the sciences and arts, including college and university teachers.