Posts Tagged ‘visa bulletin’
EB-2 CATEGORY WILL ADVANCE 1 YEAR ON FEBRUARY 1, 2012!
The EB-2 (employment-based second preference) green card category for advanced degreed professionals will advance 1 year on the February 2012 Department of State Visa Bulletin for individuals from mainland China and India.
Congress allots a certain number of immigrant visas each year for various categories and countries. Foreign nationals in the EB-2 category from India and China typically wait several years for a green card “number” to become available to them as there is a backlog with these applications. The wait is based on an applicant’s “priority date” which he/she obtains when the first step of the green card process is filed. Until that date is current on the Visa Bulletin (published monthly), the individual cannot submit (and the officers cannot adjudicate) the final paperwork for a green card.
In the January 2012 Visa Bulletin, the applications being reviewed for Chinese and Indian nationals in the EB-2 category have priority dates of January 1, 2009 and earlier. In the February 2012 Visa Bulletin, the priority date will jump to January 1, 2010 and earlier, cutting off a full year of waiting. This is great news for individuals with priority dates between January 1, 2009 and January 1, 2010 as they can now submit their final paperwork for a green card.
Please don’t hesitate to contact our San Francisco Immigration Law Office if you need assistance with a green card application or have any questions about the above.
Tags: advanced degree professional, EB-2, green card, I-485, lawful permanent resident, priority date, visa bulletin
Posted in Alerts, Immigrant Visas, USCIS | Read More »
Priority Dates Advance for EB-2 Applicants
Due to a decline in green card filings in the employment-based first preference category (EB-1), 12,000 unused visa numbers will be reallocated to the employment-based second preference category (EB-2).
Each year, the Department of State (DOS) allocates a certain number of immigrant visa (green card) slots for the various employment-based categories. This allocation is based on the type of case and country of nationality of the applicant. Each month, the DOS publishes a visa bulletin showing which type of green card case and country is currently being reviewed by the USCIS. This review is based on the date of the applicant’s green card application filing (known as the “priority date”). If the priority date is current on the bulletin for the category and country, the USCIS may render a decision about the pending green card application.
The EB-2 category will see advancement of priority dates on the visa bulletin in the coming months. India is the country most affected by this news due to the fact that the EB-2 category for India is extremely backlogged. With an additional 12,000 slots available, Indian applicants who are currently waiting to hear about their green card applications may finally receive a decision.
Tags: backlog, Department of State, EB-1, EB-2, priority date, quota, visa bulletin
Posted in Alerts, Immigrant Visas, USCIS | Read More »
Priority Dates Retrogress on January 2011 Visa Bulletin
Family-based visa categories have significantly retrogressed on the January 2011 visa bulletin. From early 2009 to September 2010, the level of demand for family-based immigration was very low, thus, the Department of State (the agency in charge of the visa bulletin), accelerated the numbers to utilize as many visa numbers as possible while there was time to do so. This generated demand, which led the DOS to retrogress the numbers (i.e. slow the demand). This is the ebb and flow of the visa bulletin method that frustrates many.
The DOS anticipates that the family-based categories will remain retrogressed for some time since the demand has not subsided. In contrast, employment-based categories have not retrogressed much, if at all. To view the January 2011 visa bulletin, please see this link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5212.html.
Tags: Department of State, employment-based, family-based, January 2011, visa bulletin
Posted in Alerts, Immigrant Visas, USCIS | Read More »
Dominican Republic Now a Separate Category on Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has added an individual category to the visa bulletin for the Dominican Republic (formerly, in the category titled “all chargeability areas except those listed”). The visa bulletin is published every month to summarize the availability of family-based and employment-based immigrant visas (“green cards”) as allotted by Congress.
When a country is separated out, it means that the country has become “oversubscribed” (i.e. the demand for visas (the number of applications on file) exceeds the number of visas available). By separating it out, the DOS informs viewers that the Dominican Republic is oversubscribed at this time and lets viewers know whether visa applicants from the Dominican Republic are facing delays and backlogs in the processing time of their applications.
With the Dominican Republic as an individual category, the categories now are:
1. All chargeability areas except those listed
2. China – mainland born
3. Dominican Republic
4. India
5. Mexico
6. Philippines
To view the current visa bulletin and previous visa bulletins, please see http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5019.html. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our immigration law firm for assistance.
Tags: country of chargeability, Department of State, Dominican Republic, employment-based, family-based, visa bulletin
Posted in Immigrant Visas | Read More »
