Haplogroup Q3 is a descendant of Haplogroup Q (M242).
Since the parent Q (M242) appears in both Asia and the Americas, while Q3 (M3) appears only in the Americas, it is believed that the mutation M3 occurred in North America after migration across the Bering Strait had ceased.
The only Y-chromosomes believed to represent patrilineal descent from one of the indigenous peoples of the Americas that are not of Haplogroup Q* (M242) or Haplogroup Q3 (M3) are those of Haplogroup C3 (M217), which is commonly found among today's Na-Dené speakers. Na-Dené speakers are also unusual among indigenous peoples of the Americas in having a relatively high frequency of Q* and C and a low frequency of Q3.[1]