May Visa Bulletin: Modest advancement in most categories

Priority cutoff dates for China EB-2 and most EB-3 categories will advance modestly next month, according to the State Department’s May Visa Bulletin. Cutoff dates for employment-based categories for Indian nationals will see very little or no movement.

Key movements in priority cutoff dates:

• China EB-3 will advance by 1 ½ months to Oct. 1, 2014, while China EB-2 will advance by three weeks to Feb. 8, 2013.
• India EB-3 will advance one day to March 25, 2005, while India EB-2 will remain set at June 22, 2008.
• Philippines EB-3 will advance by 3 ½ months to Jan. 1, 2013.
• EB-3 categories for Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and All Other Chargeability Areas will advance by one month to March 15, 2017.

Additional notes: All EB-1 categories will remain current. All EB-2 categories other than India and China will also remain current.

Application Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases:

The State Department also released its Dates for Filing chart for May. Applicants seeking to file for adjustment of status are reminded that the chart does not take effect unless USCIS confirms it via a web posting. BAL will update clients once officials confirm whether the chart can be used in May.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact BerryApplemanLeiden@bal.com.

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