September Visa Bulletin

Each month, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) publishes the Visa Bulletin, listing all "preference" categories and states whether a backlog exists for each one.  In addition, the categories are folded into two charts: “Final Action” chart and a “Dates for Filing” chart for Family-Based immigration and Employment-Based immigration.

For September, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has indicated that for Employment-Based immigration, the “Final Action Dates” chart should be used in establishing eligibility to file the I-485 Adjustment of Status petitions. This means that those who filed an Immigrant Petition [Form I-140] on or before the date given in the Visa Bulletin may file an application for permanent resident status [Form I-485].

In September the EB-1 preference category on the Final Action Chart for all countries including China and India remains “current.” This means the I-485 applications may be filed immediately with the Form I-140. Also, any otherwise qualified national of China or India with an approved EB-1, I-140 may file the I-485 in September.

The EB-2 preference category remains “current” for all countries other than China and India, which means that individuals in these categories may immediately file I-485 applications. China and India remain backlogged on both the Final Action and Dates for Filing Charts.

The EB-3 preference category is also “current” for all countries other than China and India. In August, the final action dates for EB-3 preference categories for Chinese and Indian nationals were April 22, 2018 and February 15, 2012, respectively. They have remained the same for September. 

The EB-5 preference category was recently reformed under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act and the visa bulletin includes three new categories for EB-5 processing. All EB-5 preference categories are “current” except for EB-5 Unreserved (I5 and R5) for China, which shows a final action date of December 22, 2015.

The complete Visa Bulletin, including priority dates for family-based immigrant applications, can be found on the Department of State website.

If you have questions about planning, please schedule a consultation with one of the attorneys at Iandoli, Desai & Cronin (info@iandoli.com).

Click here to see complete September Visa Bulletin.