The U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for October 2021 has just been released. This is the first Visa Bulletin for the 2022 Fiscal Year. Notably, the Final Action Dates for the EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 are unchanged; the EB-1 remains current for all countries. The EB-2 and EB-3 remain current for all countries, with the exception of India and China. The Final Action Dates for India and China remain static with the India EB-2 at 09/01/2011 and EB-3 at 01/01/2014 and the Chinese EB-2 at 07/01/18 and EB-3 at 01/08/2019.
BUT, significantly, USCIS has announced that the alternate chart – known as the Dates for Filing Chart – may be used to determine whether an EB-2 or EB-3-eligible immigrant may take the final steps in the green card process.
The Dates for Filing Chart offers no advantage for EB-3-eligible immigrants from China and India; in fact these categories show retrogression by several months. However, for EB-2 eligible immigrants from India, there is substantial favorable progress, with the cut-off date advancing from December 1, 2011 to July 8, 2012. For EB-2-eligible immigrants from India with priority dates in the first half of 2012, this represents a long-awaited opportunity to initiate the final steps in the green card process. For additional information or questions on the Visa Bulletin and what it means for you and your family, contact us.