According to the State Department’s June Visa Bulletin, there will be significant retrogressions in the cut-off dates for final issuance of an immigrant visa for EB-2 India and China and EB-3 China next month, consistent with recent agency projections. EB-2 India will retrogress by more than four years, to October 1, 2004, while EB-2 China will retrogress by 20 months, to January 1, 2010. The EB-3 China cut-off date for professionals and skilled workers will move back by just over three years and seven months, to January 1, 2010.
Final action cut-off dates will advance by three weeks for EB-3 India, to September 22, 2004, and by nearly three months for EB-3 Philippines, to November 1, 2008. Priority date cut-offs for all other countries will be unchanged in EB-3.
The final action cut-off date for EB-5 China will advance by one week, to February 15, 2014.
There will be no advancement in cut-off dates for eligibility to file an application for permanent residence in any backlogged categories. In the coming days, USCIS is expected to announce on its own Visa Bulletin web page whether it will accept adjustment of status applications from foreign nationals with a priority date that makes them eligible to file in June.
Employment-Based Immigrant Visa Availability in the Coming Months
Final action dates for China EB-2 and EB-3 are not expected to advance for the remainder of this fiscal year, due to extremely heavy demand for the category. In FY 2017, which begins October 1, 2016, China EB-2 and EB-3 cut-off dates are expected to return to May 2016 cut-off dates.
The State Department projects that EB-2 India will advance slowly over the next three months.
FINAL ACTION CUT-OFF DATES FOR JUNE 2016
EB-1
Current for all countries.
EB-2
China: January 1, 2010
India: October 1, 2004
All other countries: Current
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: January 1, 2010
India: September 22, 2004
Philippines: November 1, 2008
All other countries: February 15, 2016
EB-3 Other Workers
China: April 22, 2007
India: September 22, 2004
Philippines: November 1, 2008
All other countries: February 15, 2016
EB-5
China: February 15, 2014
Current for all other countries and subcategories.
FILING ELIGIBILITY CUT-OFF DATES FOR JUNE 2016
EB-1
Current for all countries.
EB-2
China: June 1, 2013
India: July 1, 2009
All other countries: Current
EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers
China: May 1, 2015
India: July 1, 2005
Philippines: January 1, 2010
All other countries: Current
EB-3 Other Workers
China: August 1, 2009
India: July 1, 2005
Philippines: January 1, 2010
All other countries: Current
EB-5
China: May 1, 2015
Current for all other countries and subcategories.