January Visa Bulletin: India EB-2 and China EB-2, most EB-3 categories to advance modestly

Priority cutoff dates for India EB-2, China EB-2 and most EB-3 categories will advance modestly, according to the State Department’s January Visa Bulletin.

Key movements in priority cutoff dates:

• India EB-2 will advance 2 ½ months to April 15, 2008, while India EB-3 will remain set at March 15, 2005.
• China EB-2 will advance by more than three weeks to Oct. 15, 2012, while China EB-3 will advance more than two months to Sept. 8, 2013.
• The Philippines EB-3 category will advance nearly two months to July 22, 2011.
• EB-3 categories for Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and All Other Chargeability Areas will advance by one month to Aug. 1, 2016.

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 January 2016. Applicants seeking to file for adjustment of status are reminded that the chart does not take effect until USCIS confirms it via a web posting in the next week or so. BAL will update clients once the State Department confirms whether the chart can be used in January.

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

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