Skip to main content

Women's Journal

Menu

The EB-3 Green Card and How Nurses Fit Into the Process and Navigate Waiting Times

Women's Journal Staff on October 22, 2026

For internationally trained nurses, the US job market sends two messages at once: hospitals are hiring, and the immigration paperwork looks impenetrable. The pathway that reconciles the two is EB-3, the employment-based green card category whose professional tier lists registered nurses among its classic occupations. A green card grants permanent residence and unrestricted work in the US, and EB-3 is how employer-sponsored candidates in ordinary professions reach it.

The honest framing first: the process is not fast, and it cannot be done alone, because it runs on an employer’s sponsorship from the first step. But every stage of it is defined, which means a nurse who understands the sequence can judge an employer’s plan and a timeline realistically.

Where nursing fits among the three tiers

EB-3 divides into three sub-categories, each defined by the job’s requirements. The professionals tier covers positions normally requiring at least a US bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent; typical occupations include accountants, teachers, engineers, and registered nurses. The skilled workers tier covers jobs requiring at least two years of training or experience, from medical technicians to chefs. The other workers tier takes positions needing less than two years of preparation.

All three tiers can be approved; none is a rejection track. What changes in the classification is the wait, because the visa queue treats the tiers very differently, as the queue section below explains.

PERM: the employer’s project, by law

Every EB-3 case rests on three things: employer sponsorship, a valid job offer, and a labor certification approved by the Department of Labor. There is no self-petition option. The labor certification process, called PERM, exists to protect the domestic workforce: the employer must prove it offered the market wage and genuinely searched for qualified US workers first.

The sequence is fixed: a prevailing wage determination, mandatory recruitment steps, a 30-day waiting period, and then the filing of ETA Form 9089. The date that form reaches the Department of Labor becomes the applicant’s priority date, the legal place in the visa queue, which is why delays at the preparation stage literally cost queue position. One protective rule is worth every candidate knowing: PERM-stage advertising and attorney costs must be paid entirely by the employer, and passing them to the worker is prohibited.

The queue, read honestly

Visa Bulletin cutoff dates for the professional and skilled tier run well ahead of the other workers tier, and the gap is measured in years. The State Department republishes the bulletin monthly, and cutoff dates can move backward as well as forward, so the current chart is always worth checking before anyone promises a timeline. The planning lesson does not change with the dates: classifying the role correctly at the start matters more than any later effort to speed the paperwork.

After PERM approval, the employer files Form I-140 with USCIS, where two things are examined: the company’s ability to pay the offered wage, and the worker’s qualifications as written on the certification. For that stage, premium processing is available at 15 business days for EB-3 classifications.

The family, and the two rules of the wait

The case carries the household: the spouse and unmarried children under 21 receive green cards through the same case, filing their I-485 forms together or attending the consular interview as one family, without separate sponsorship.

Two rules govern the waiting years. First, the priority date rules everything: every month PERM preparation slips is a month added to the back of the queue. Second, the sponsorship tie has a legal clock: until a filed I-485 has been pending for 180 days, the applicant remains tied to the sponsoring employer, and leaving early can collapse the case. Career moves during the wait need to be planned against that clock, not against instinct.

Choosing help that manages the sequence

An EB-3 case crosses two government agencies, three stages, and several years, and the expensive mistakes are sequencing mistakes. An EB-3 attorney keeps the employer’s PERM file, the I-140 evidence, and the family’s final-stage documents on one calendar. Grape Law’s EB-3 guide lays out the tiers, the process, and the waiting rules in plain language for both sponsoring employers and the professionals they hire.

Bulletin dates and rules were verified against the September 2026 Visa Bulletin and USCIS records as of September 2026.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration requirements, fees, processing times, and visa availability may change. Every case depends on its specific facts and circumstances. Consult a qualified immigration attorney regarding your situation.

Five Women Scientists Win $75K Each in L’Oréal USA Awards

Womens Journal Staff 2 on October 22, 2026

Women scientists at five U.S. institutions have been named recipients of $75,000 grants through L’Oréal USA’s 2026 For Women in Science program. The October 20 announcement covers research into vaccines, spinal cord injuries, crop protection, wildlife microbes and exoplanets. The awards also include mentoring and professional development for the selected researchers.

Key Takeaways

  • L’Oréal USA announced five $75,000 research grants on October 20, 2026, totaling $375,000
  • The awardees work at UC Berkeley, MIT, Princeton, Caltech and Ohio State University
  • Projects involve immune-cell biology, AI-assisted crop protection, wildlife microbiomes and exoplanet imaging
  • L’Oréal USA reports awarding more than $5.6 million to over 115 women scientists through the U.S. program since 2003
  • An awards ceremony is scheduled for October 22 in New York City

L’Oréal USA has selected five postdoctoral researchers for grants totaling $375,000, with each scientist receiving $75,000 to support her research. The recipients work at the University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, California Institute of Technology and Ohio State University.

The grant recipients are Danielle Stevens, Anna Romanov, Katherine Lagerstrom, Clarissa Do Ó and Tana Pottorf. Their projects examine different scientific problems, from biological defenses against infection to the difficulty of directly observing planets outside the solar system. The awards recognize work under investigation, not newly approved medical treatments or completed technological products.

Women Scientists Receive $75,000 Grants and Career Support

The For Women in Science awards are directed at postdoctoral researchers, scientists who have earned doctoral degrees and are conducting further research before the next stage of their careers. The grants are intended to support their proposed work and professional development rather than recognize a finished commercial product.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, known as AAAS, administers applications and peer review for the U.S. program. Its published selection criteria consider the scientific quality and feasibility of a research proposal, the applicant’s qualifications and the applicant’s commitment to supporting women and girls in science.

The program’s budget guidance identifies potential uses for funding that include laboratory supplies, equipment, publication costs, research-related travel and conferences. Recipients can also take part in professional activities arranged around the awards, including mentoring and discussions with other researchers.

Marissa McGowan, chief sustainability officer for L’Oréal North America, said the grants recognize researchers “at a critical moment in their career journey.” The company describes mentoring and professional connections as accompanying elements of the financial awards.

The mentoring component relates to broader discussions of women’s STEM career development, where access to professional networks and academic guidance is one of several recurring themes. L’Oréal USA says its U.S. program, founded in 2003, has supported more than 115 women scientists with over $5.6 million in grants.

Two Women Scientists Study Vaccines and Spinal Cord Injuries

At MIT, Anna Romanov is developing programmable molecular technologies to examine how B cells evolve. B cells are part of the immune system and play a role in producing antibodies. Her research seeks to clarify how their behavior could inform the development of vaccines and immunotherapies.

Romanov’s work focuses on understanding biological mechanisms. The award announcement does not identify a new vaccine, a clinical trial result or a treatment already available to patients. It describes potential applications for findings that remain part of an ongoing research program.

At Ohio State, Tana Pottorf studies macrophages, immune cells involved in the body’s response to injury. Her project looks at how macrophages act after spinal cord injury and whether researchers can better distinguish responses associated with tissue recovery from those linked to complications.

Pottorf is also examining how those cellular functions change over time and in different areas of injured tissue. The objective is to improve the scientific understanding of these responses. The announcement does not establish that modifying macrophages has produced a proven recovery therapy.

Macrophage behavior is being studied in other settings as well. Separate research on uterine immune cells has examined tissue repair and inflammation in reproductive health, although it addresses different conditions and does not establish results for spinal cord injury.

AI Crop Protection and Wildlife Research Expand the Award Scope

At UC Berkeley, Danielle Stevens is examining whether computational tools can help identify ways for crops to resist disease-causing microbes. Her work uses protein language models and other artificial intelligence techniques to study plant immune proteins that recognize pathogens.

According to L’Oréal USA, the project also explores automated approaches to designing genetic edits that could strengthen plant defenses. Reducing pesticide use and protecting food supplies are stated research goals, not outcomes the company reported as achieved through the 2026 award.

The distinction is important because the project concerns biological research and proposed methods. The announcement does not describe a newly approved crop variety, a pesticide reduction measured on farms or a commercially available product developed through the grant.

At Princeton, Katherine Lagerstrom is studying how changes associated with human activity affect microorganisms living in the digestive systems of wild animals. Her research examines factors such as pollution and exposure to human-associated bacteria, including possible connections to microbial adaptation and antibiotic resistance.

Lagerstrom’s project considers interactions between wildlife, their microbiomes and environmental conditions. The award description presents the research as an examination of these relationships. It does not report that a particular environmental exposure has been established as the cause of a specific outbreak or human illness.

Caltech Researcher Develops Tools to Image Distant Planets

At Caltech, Clarissa Do Ó is developing technology and observing strategies for direct imaging of exoplanets, the planets that orbit stars beyond the solar system. Researchers using direct imaging must separate faint planetary light from the much brighter light emitted by nearby stars.

L’Oréal USA says the work is intended to improve the ability to detect Earth-like planets that can be about 10 billion times fainter than the stars they orbit. The figure describes an observational challenge. The award announcement does not say Do Ó has discovered another Earth-like world.

The five projects will be recognized at an October 22 ceremony in New York City. The company said the awards follow three days of programming that includes a visit to its North America Research and Innovation Center in Clark, New Jersey, and sessions focused on science communication and professional development.

Vox, which is co-hosting a panel and reception for the recipients, said its creative team plans to premiere five short documentaries about their research. The U.S. awards are part of the larger L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science initiative, which began internationally in 1998.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will the 2026 L’Oréal USA recipients receive?

Each of the five women scientists receives a $75,000 grant, for a combined 2026 award total of $375,000. The grants support research and career-related expenses under the program’s guidelines.

Who are the five 2026 For Women in Science awardees?

The recipients are Danielle Stevens, Anna Romanov, Katherine Lagerstrom, Clarissa Do Ó and Tana Pottorf. They conduct postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley, MIT, Princeton, Caltech and Ohio State University, respectively.

What areas of research do the grants support?

The projects cover crop immune defenses, B-cell biology, wildlife microbiomes, exoplanet imaging and the role of immune cells after spinal cord injury. The announcement describes continuing research rather than completed treatments or products.

When is the 2026 award ceremony?

L’Oréal USA scheduled the ceremony for October 22, 2026, in New York City. The program also includes mentoring, scientific communication activities and discussions with researchers.

Belly Fat and Visceral Fat and Why Reducing Them Improves Metabolic Health

Women's Journal Staff on October 22, 2026

Visceral fat is the fat stored deep in the abdomen around the organs, separate from the subcutaneous fat that sits just under the skin. Reducing it is closely linked to improvements in metabolic health.

A 2025 study of 175 adults with overweight or obesity, published in Frontiers in Endocrinology, found that those who reduced visceral fat by 5% or more over three months were more likely to see improvements in waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar. Even smaller reductions were linked to better HDL cholesterol levels.

Where the body stores fat is a strong indicator of metabolic health.

Visceral fat acts like an active, hormonal organ, releasing fatty acids, inflammatory molecules, and hormones that reach the liver and affect insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health. Subcutaneous fat, the soft layer a person can pinch, is far less metabolically active.

Satya Jonnalagadda, PhD, MBA, RD, Vice President, Scientific & Clinical Affairs at Trilivy™ said, “Weight is the most visible signal, but it is rarely the whole story. When you organize a program around metabolic function, you are measuring what is happening to visceral fat and lean mass, not just the number on a scale. Two people can lose the same weight and have very different things happening inside their bodies, and the goal of this system is to make the difference work in the person’s favor.”

Why Visceral Fat Affects Metabolic Health More Than Total Weight

BMI relies only on height and weight, so it cannot show where the body stores fat.

A 2025 study of nearly 6,000 normal-weight adults published in Lipids in Health and Disease linked higher visceral fat to greater metabolic syndrome risk. In a six-year follow-up of 398 participants, new cases rose as visceral fat increased.

The researchers identified a threshold effect at about 100 square centimeters of visceral fat.

Reducing Visceral Fat While Preserving Lean Mass

Quality weight loss reduces visceral fat while preserving lean mass, which includes muscle, organs, connective tissue, and the water within cells and supports metabolism, mobility, and strength.

Tracking body composition, the breakdown of the body into fat, lean mass, and bone, shows whether weight loss comes from fat or from lean tissue.

In a peer-reviewed randomized controlled trial published in Obesity Science & Practice, participants on the Trilivy Reset 5 & 1 Plan reduced visceral fat by 14% and retained 98% of lean mass at 16 weeks. The same trial found that participants working with a coach lost up to 10 times more weight and 17 times more fat than those who tried to lose weight on their own.*

Those results reflect quality weight loss, reducing the fat tied to metabolic risk while preserving the tissue that supports metabolism.

How to Reduce Visceral Fat

Visceral fat responds to the same habits that support metabolic health overall:

  • Structured nutrition: Portion-controlled, nutrient-dense meals support steady fat loss at a pace a person can sustain.
  • Adequate protein: Sufficient protein helps preserve lean mass during weight loss.
  • Regular movement: Resistance training and everyday activity help the body draw on fat stores while preserving muscle.
  • Sufficient sleep: A 2026 study linked short sleep to weight gain and more sedentary days.
  • Fewer added sugars: Limiting added sugars and refined carbohydrates helps steady blood sugar.
  • Support and accountability: Coaching and consistent support can help turn these changes into lasting habits.

No single food or workout targets visceral fat. These habits reduce it by working together, applied consistently over time.

Visceral Fat as a Measure of Metabolic Health

Visceral fat shapes how the body manages energy, blood sugar, and fats, which makes it a useful indicator of metabolic health.

Tracking body composition alongside blood sugar and lipid levels, with guidance from a healthcare provider, gives a more complete picture of progress over time.

Lasting change comes from reducing visceral fat while preserving the lean mass that supports metabolism, built through consistent habits.

Trilivy™ recommends that you contact your healthcare provider before starting and throughout your weight loss journey.

* Arterburn LM, et al. Randomized controlled trial assessing two commercial weight loss programs in adults with overweight or obesity. Obesity Science & Practice. 2019. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/osp4.312. In a clinical study, individuals on the Reset 5 & 1 Plan experienced a reduction of 14% in visceral fat, and 98% of lean mass was retained at 16 weeks. Those on the Reset 5 & 1 Plan with the support of a coach lost up to 10x more weight and 17x more fat than those who tried to lose weight on their own.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Helps Reduce Visceral Fat?

Answer: Visceral fat responds to a combination of habits including structured, portion-controlled nutrition, adequate protein, regular movement that includes resistance training, sufficient sleep, and fewer added sugars and refined carbohydrates. Coaching and consistent support can help turn these changes into lasting habits. No single food or workout targets visceral fat, so consistency across these habits over time matters most.

Why Is Visceral Fat More Harmful Than Other Body Fat?

Answer: Visceral fat surrounds the abdominal organs and acts like an active, hormonal organ. It releases fatty acids, inflammatory molecules, and hormones that reach the liver and affect insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health. Subcutaneous fat, the layer just beneath the skin, is far less metabolically active, so where the body stores fat can signal metabolic risk.

How Is Visceral Fat Measured?

Answer: Imaging methods such as DXA scans, CT, and MRI measure visceral fat directly and separate it from subcutaneous fat. Bioelectrical impedance devices offer a quicker estimate, and waist circumference serves as a simple indirect marker. Body weight and BMI cannot show visceral fat because they do not reveal where the body stores fat.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. The information provided is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Individual health outcomes may vary. Readers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to their diet, exercise routine, or weight management program.