THE OCTOBER 2015 VISA BULLETIN ISSUED ON 09/09/2015 HAS BEEN REISSUED. PLEASE SEE THIS POST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
From the Council for Global Immigration, 09/09/2015
The Department
of State (DOS) released the October
Visa Bulletin today, implementing changes pursuant to the President’s report
on visa modernization that provide significant relief to many waiting in
the green card backlogs. In an announcement
from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency says that
the revised process will “better align with procedures DOS uses for foreign
nationals who seek to become U.S. permanent residents by applying for immigrant
visas at U.S. consulates and embassies abroad” and “enhance DOS’s ability to
more accurately predict overall immigrant visa demand and determine the cut-off
dates for visa issuance published in the Visa Bulletin.”
The format of
the October Visa Bulletin will be used for all visa bulletins moving forward.
The change will also allow applicants to apply for immigrant visas or
adjustment of status, along with concurrent employment authorization document
(EAD) and travel authorization applications, and receive those concurrent
benefits before a green card is immediately available. The immediate impact is
most notable in the India EB-2, China EB-2 and Philippines EB-3 categories.
The visa
bulletin has been revised to include two charts on employment-based preferences
rather than the one chart found in previous visa bulletins:
- The first chart shows “application final action dates for employment-based preference cases,” which are the priority dates for which final action can be taken on adjustment of status applications or for consular processing.
- The second chart shows “dates for filing of employment-based visa applications,” which shows priority dates for which applicants can file an adjustment of status (along with EAD and travel document applications) or submit documents to the National Visa Center.
The impact on EB-2 professionals is as follows:
- Indian nationals in the EB-2 category can now file for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status applications if they have a priority date on or before July 1, 2011, even though visas are only immediately available for those with a priority date on or before May 1, 2005.
- Chinese nationals in the EB-2 category can now file an immigrant visa or adjustment of status applications if they have a priority date on or before May 14, 2014, even though visas are only immediately available for those with a priority date on or before January 1, 2012.
The impact on EB-3 skilled workers and professionals is as follows:
- Indian nationals in the EB-3 category can now file an immigrant visa or adjustment of status applications if they have a priority date on or before July 1 2005, even though visas are only immediately available for those with a priority date on or before March 8, 2004.
- Chinese nationals in the EB-3 category can now file an immigrant visa or adjustment of status applications if they have a priority date on or before October 1, 2013, even though visas are only immediately available for those with a priority date on or before October 15, 2011.
- Filipino nationals in the EB-3 category can now file an immigrant visa or adjustment of status applications if they have a priority date on or before January 1, 2015, even though visas are only immediately available for those with a priority date on or before January 1, 2007.
- Nationals of Mexico and all other chargeability areas in the EB-3 category can now file an immigrant visa or adjustment of status applications if they have a priority date on or before September 1, 2015, even though visas are only immediately available for those with a priority date on or before August 15, 2015.
