January Visa Bulletin Update: Final Action Dates to determine eligibility

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that in January it will only accept employment-based adjustment-of-status applications based on the Application Final Action Dates chart.

The Dates for Filing chart, published in the State Department’s January Visa Bulletin, will not apply. Employment-based immigrants must follow the Application Final Action Dates chart (below) to determine if they are eligible to file their adjustment-of-status petitions with USCIS. Only applicants with priority dates earlier than the dates listed in the chart will be permitted to file their applications for adjustment of status in January.

Application Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases:

This marks the first time in the 2017 fiscal year that the Dates for Filing chart will not apply to employment-based filings. Family-based immigrants, however, will be permitted to use the Dates for Filing chart applicable to family-sponsored immigrants, which also is contained in the January Visa Bulletin.

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

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