July Visa Bulletin: EB-3 Philippines unavailable, EB-2 China continues to advance

Following significant retrogression in recent months, priority dates for the EB-3 Philippines category will become unavailable next month, according to the State Department’s July Visa Bulletin. Unless unused visa numbers from EB-2 Philippines become available in September, visas will not be available in this category until Oct. 1, 2015, the start of fiscal year 2016. The category recently retrogressed by nearly 10 years to Jan 1, 2005.

EB-3 Chinese nationals will not see movement in July, keeping the priority date at Sept. 1, 2011. Other nationalities in the EB-3 category will advance slightly. India will advance approximately one week from Jan. 22, 2004 to Feb. 1, 2004. Mexico and Rest of World will advance 1 ½ months from Feb. 15, 2015 to April 1, 2015.

The other notable change is that Chinese nationals in the EB-2 category will see progress but at a slower pace than in recent months – the priority date will advance four months from June 1, 2013 to Oct. 1, 2013. The priority date for EB-2 Indian nationals, which advanced in recent months, will remain static from last month at Oct. 1, 2008. All other countries in EB-2 will remain current.

Summary of July 2015 Visa Bulletin:

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