The Department of State released the May 2016 Visa Bulletin this week. D&S provides a Monthly Summary of the family and employment-based priority dates. For the second and third employment-based preference categories, Application Filing dates remained unchanged and there was modest forward movement in the Final Action dates EB-2 and EB-3 India of three weeks. There was no movement in EB-2 and EB-3 China Final Action dates. Final Action dates for EB-3 Worldwide and EB-3 Mexico also remained unchanged and EB-3 Philippines progressed just over 3 months. The EB-5 China Final Action date advanced by just one week from February 1, 2014 to February 8, 2014. Finally, the visa bulletin establishes a new cut-off date for the employment-based, fourth preference and certain religious workers preference categories for applicants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
As of today, April 13, 2016, USCIS has not advised whether in May 2016, it will accept adjustment of status applications for family or employment-based petitions based on filing dates, rather than final action dates. USCIS anticipates that this information will be released within one week of the monthly Visa Bulletin.
D&S will provide further updates as they become available.