Department of State June 2017 Visa Bulletin Summary

This week the Department of State released the June 2017 Visa Bulletin.  D&S provides a Monthly Summary of the family and employment-based priority dates.  Application Filing Dates for EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 Worldwide are current.  Additionally, Application Filing Dates for China remain unchanged in both the EB-2 and EB-3 categories with EB-2 China at October 1, 2013 and EB-3 China at September 1, 2015.  Similarly, Application Filing Dates for India in both the EB-2 and EB-3 categories remain unchanged at February 1, 2009 and April 22, 2006 respectively.  Application Filing Dates for EB-3 Philippines remain unchanged at July 1, 2014.  Application Filing Dates for EB-5 China remain unchanged at September 1, 2014.

With respect to Final Action Dates, there was significant retrogression of nearly 5.5 years for EB-1 China and EB-1 India, with each category retrogressing to January 1, 2012. EB-2 China progressed one month to April 1, 2013 and EB-3 China remains unchanged at October 1, 2014.  EB-2 India progressed slightly to July 1, 2008 and EB-3 India retrogressed by 10 days to May 15, 2005.  EB-3 El Salvador progressed 1 month to April 15, 2017.  Certain Religious Workers are once again current for all groups except Mexico and El Salvador, which are both retrogressed to July 15, 2015.  EB-3 Philippines has progressed 4 months to May 1, 2013.

EB-2 Worldwide remains current and EB-3 Worldwide has progressed one month to April 15, 2017. EB-5 China progressed by one week to June 8, 2014.

As of today, May 9, 2017, USCIS has not advised whether, in June 2017, it will accept adjustment of status applications for family and employment-based petitions based on final action dates or application filing dates.

Department of StatE August 2016 Visa Bulletin Summary

The Department of State released the August 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 except for EB-3 Philippines which progressed 3 years to January 1, 2013 .

There was modest forward movement of 2 weeks for EB-2 and EB-3 India.  EB-2 and EB-3 China, remain unchanged with priority dates for both categories remaining at January 1, 2010.  Additionally, EB-1 China retrogressed to January 1, 2010.

EB-2 Worldwide will no longer be current and will retrogress to February 1, 2014.

Final Action dates for EB-3 Worldwide and EB-3 Mexico remain unchanged and EB-3 Philippines progressed 3 months to May 15, 2009.

Notably, EB-5 China Final Action dates continue to remains static at February 15, 2014.

As of today, July 12, 2016, USCIS has not advised whether in August 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.