September Visa Bulletin: EB-2 China, India to retrogress significantly as fiscal year nears end

The priority date for Chinese nationals in the EB-2 category will retrogress by almost eight years from Dec. 15, 2013 to Jan. 1, 2006, according to the State Department’s September Visa Bulletin.  For Indian nationals in the EB-2 category, the priority date will retrogress by two years and nine months, from Oct. 1, 2008 to Jan. 1, 2006. In other EB-2 categories, Mexico, the Philippines, and the Rest of World will remain current.

The retrogression in the EB-2 categories for China and India in September are in great part due to the limited number of remaining available immigrant visas for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. Swings in priority dates are common when the end of the fiscal year approaches because the State Department makes adjustments to the priority dates based on the remaining available visa numbers to be issued for the last month of the fiscal year.

EB-3 categories, meanwhile, will all see advancements. China, India, and the Philippines will advance significantly by almost seven months from June 1, 2004 to Dec. 22, 2004. For China, the advancement follows a retrogression of more than seven years in the August Visa Bulletin. The Rest of World and Mexico will advance by one month from July 15, 2015 to Aug. 15, 2015.

All EB-1 categories will remain current.

Summary of September 2015 Visa Bulletin:

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