An Update of Visa Bulletin progress and projections from Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State
Family-Based Immigration
September begins China’s and India’s Retrogression for the following Family-Based Preference Categories:
- FB-1 Worldwide, China and India have retrogressed from May 8, 2011 back to April 8, 2011.
- FB-3 Worldwide, China and India have retrogressed from June 15, 2006 to May 1, 2006.
In October these family-based preference categories are expected to recover and return to the previously held August final action dates. It is also predicted that the worldwide family-based preference categories will advance as follows:
- FB-1: up to three weeks, following an October recovery;
- FB-2A: up to three to five weeks;
- FB-2B: up to six weeks;
- FB-3: up to three to five weeks, following an October recovery;
- FB-4: up to five weeks.
Employment-Based Immigration: First Preference EB-1
EB-1 First Preference Employment-Based Categories will have little forward movement before December or possibly into Q2 of FY 2019.
Employment-Based Immigration: Second Preference EB-2
In September, EB-2 India retrogresses more than two years to January 1, 2007. However, in October, EB-2 India is expected to recover to a 2009 date and to advance at a pace of up to two weeks at a time.
EB-2 China will retrogress from March 1, 2015 to the worldwide date of January 1, 2013, resulting in EB-3 China having a more favorable date than EB-2 China.
EB-2 Worldwide will return to current in October and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
Employment-Based Immigration: Third Preference EB-3
EB-3 Worldwide, Mexico and Vietnam (as well as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras), and Other Workers Worldwide, Mexico, and Vietnam, will have a final action date of November 1, 2016 is briefly imposed, but all of these categories will return to current in October.
Starting in September, EB-3 China is expected to advance four months to November 1, 2014 and starting in October is expected to advance from this date by up to three weeks at a time. EB-3 and Other Workers India will retrogress six years to January 1, 2003 but will recover in October and then move slowly pending receipt of demand from recent advances. EB-3 Philippines and Other Workers Philippines will retrogress seven months to November 1, 2016 but is expected to recover some in October.
Employment-Based Immigration: Fourth Preference EB-4
Starting in October, EB-4 El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, EB-4 Mexico and EB-4 India all advance one week to February 15, 2016. EB-4 Mexico will fully recover in October to its June Visa Bulletin date of October 22, 2016, and EB-4 India will return to current in October.
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
In September, EB-5 Non-Regional Center and Regional Center for both China and Vietnam will advance one week to August 8, 2014. These categories will continue to operate under a final action date as we enter FY19. Their dates are likely to be different, however, with Vietnam’s date being later than that of China for the first five to six months of the fiscal year, until EB-5 Vietnam hits it’s per country limit. At that time, its final action date will track that of China.
