Trivia: On May 10, 1877, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes had which common piece of technology first installed into the White House?

Where are we this month?

Advancements

Employment

  • Chinese nationals advance approximately one month in the EB-2 and Other Workers categories while Indian nationals see a slightly more significant advancement of 3 months in both the EB-3 and Other Workers categories.
  • Mexican nationals advanced nearly 11 weeks in the EB-4 category.
  • Of particular importance, filing dates for Certain Religious Workers are current for all nationals excluding Mexican, El Salvadorian, Guatemalan, and Honduran nationals while the 5th Non-Regional and Regional Center categories are current for all individuals except Chinese and Vietnamese nationals

Family

  • In most family-based categories, we see advancements of approximately 2-5 weeks, with the exclusion of the F-1 classification for Indian, Chinese, and Worldwide nationals, which are not subject to any changes on this month's bulletin, as well as certain classifications for Mexican and Philippine nationals.
  • In the F-2B and F-4 categories, Philippine nationals advance 6+ weeks. Similarly, Mexican nationals in the F-1 and F-3 classifications advance nearly 10 and 8 weeks, respectively.

Rules of the Road for Immigrant Visa Processing

What is the "Final Action Date"?

The date when USCIS or DOS may adjudicate and issue a final decision on Immigrant Visa applications. You are eligible to file if your priority date is before the posted date.

What is the "Date for Filing Application"?

The date when the I-485 or NVC application may be submitted to the respective agency – USCIS/DOS. You are eligible to file if your priority date is before the posted date.

Before you act Visit www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo for information on whether USCIS has determined that this chart can be used this month for filing applications for adjustment of status with USCIS.

What is a "priority date"?

This date establishes your place in line for receiving an immigration visa petition. For employment-based petitions with PERM labor certification sponsorship, the priority date is the date the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) receives the company's ETA Form 9089. Where PERM sponsorship is not required, the date is set when the I-140, I-526 or I-360 is filed with USCIS. For family-based sponsorships this is set when USCIS receives the Form I-130 petition.

FINAL ACTION: EMPLOYMENT CATEGORIES

*Current priority dates are eligible to file AND be adjudicated

FILING: EMPLOYMENT CATEGORIES

*Current priority dates for this category are eligible to file, but will NOT be adjudicated until the priority date is current chart above

FINAL ACTION: FAMILY CATEGORIES

FILING: FAMILY CATEGORIES

Trivia Answer: The telephone!

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.