Business Immigration Insights

The State Department has published the May Visa Bulletin.  Except for modest progress in two India categories, EB-3 Professionals and EB-3 Other Workers, priority dates do not advance from April.

Below is a summary that includes Final Action Dates and changes from the previous month, but first – some background if you are new to these blog posts.  If you are an old hand at the Visa Bulletin, feel free to skip the next paragraph.

The Visa Bulletin is released monthly by the US Department of State (in collaboration with US Citizenship and Immigration Services).  If your priority date (that is, the date you got a place on the waiting list) is earlier than the cutoff date listed in the Bulletin for your nationality and category, that means a visa number is available for you that month. That, in turn, means you can submit your DS-260 immigrant visa application (if you’re applying at a US embassy abroad) or your I-485 adjustment of status application (if you are applying with USCIS).  If you already submitted that final step and your category then retrogressed, it means the embassy or USCIS can now approve your application because a visa number is again available.

Now for the May VB – Very little progress, but at least no retrogression (or even predictions of retrogression):

As noted above, only India makes gains in May, and only in two categories:

• EB-1 halts at February 15, 2022, and EB-2 at January 1, 2013
• EB-3 Professionals and EB-3 Other Workers advance 2 weeks to April 15, 2013

No changes for China:

• EB-1 remains stuck at November 8, 2022
• EB-2 sticks at October 1, 2020
• EB-3 Professionals remains at November 1, 2020
• EB-3 Other Workers stalls at April 1, 2017

Likewise, no changes in All Other Countries:

• EB-1 remains current
• EB-2 stalls at June 22, 2023
• EB-3 Professionals stays at January 1, 2023
• EB-3 Other Workers remains at May 22, 2021

NOTE 1: USCIS will accept I-485 applications in May based on Final Action Dates, not the more favorable Dates for Filing chart.