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Case Stories
⏳ EB-3 Skilled Worker Pending - Consular Processing with Financial Delinquency Concern
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⏳ **Case Status: Pending**
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An F1/OPT visa holder whose employer filed EB-3 petitions had to return home due to visa backlog. Now that their priority date is current for consular processing, they are concerned whether existing US debt (bank charge-off, delinquency, debt collection attempt) could affect visa approval.
Applicant completed F1 status including OPT in the US, then departed after employer-sponsored EB-3 was filed but remained backlogged. After approximately two years abroad, the priority date became current and consular processing is now underway. The applicant has unresolved US financial obligations including a bank account charge-off and delinquency, with at least one debt collection attempt on record against their SSN. The core question is whether civil financial debt constitutes grounds for inadmissibility or visa denial during consular processing.
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**[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1u0xc7c/former_f1_current_eb3_with_debt/)**
*Source: Reddit EB-3 search*
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*This post was automatically curated from online sources to share real case experiences with the community.*
US civil debt (credit card balances, bank charge-offs, personal loans) is generally not a ground of inadmissibility under INA 212 and does not directly disqualify an EB-3 consular processing applicant. Consular officers review criminal history, health, public charge risk, and prior immigration violations — not private civil debts. However, the public charge ground (INA 212(a)(4)) evaluates financial self-sufficiency; a sponsor's I-864 Affidavit of Support is the primary safeguard here. Applicants in similar situations should ensure their petitioning employer or a joint sponsor meets the 125% federal poverty guideline threshold. The debt itself will not appear on consular background checks, but unresolved tax obligations to the IRS are a separate concern and should be verified independently.