Open the Visa Bulletin. Open the Department of State visa bulletin at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa -law0/visa-bulletin.html. Click on the month of the “Current V isa Bulletin”.
How do I Check my Visa Bulletin?
First you need to check the date at the top, which shows the month to which this visa bulletin is relevant. Each month a new Visa Bulletin is issued and most of the information changes every month, thus it is important that you check it each month.
How often is the Visa Bulletin updated?
The Visa Bulletin is updated on a monthly basis. USCIS has determined that for September 2022, all family-sponsored preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart and all employment-based preference categories must use the Final Action Dates chart for adjustment of status applications. When will your priority date become current?
What is the priority date on the Visa Bulletin?
Important terms in the Visa Bulletin Priority date: This is the date that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received your I-130 petition. Think of this date as your place in the green card line. You can find your priority date on the I-797 form mailed by USCIS approving your I-130 petition.
How do I know if my immigrant visa is current?
The U.S. Department of State publishes a monthly visa bulletin that lists the priority dates which have become current. In other words, these are the priority dates that now have an immigrant visa available to be claimed. You must review the U.S. Department of State’s visa bulletin to determine if your immigrant petition is current.
How do I check my DV Visa Bulletin?
Once your case number is current in the Visa Bulletin, you can check your status via https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/. There you will see the exact time and date of your interview appointment.
What happens when Visa Bulletin is current?
Current: In the context of the visa bulletin, “current” means no backlog and no wait time for a green card. A particular priority date becomes “current” once it reaches the front of the line and a green card is available.
How can I check my visa case status?
Applicants for nonimmigrant visas can view the status of their visa cases via the CEAC launch page . All NIV cases created within the past year are available in the CEAC Status Check. How to use the system: In order to use the CEAC Status Check, you will need to enter your CEAC barcode and the interview location.
What is filing date in Visa Bulletin?
What is “Dates for Filing” in Visa Bulletin? The “dates for filing application” or simply “dates for filing” in Visa bulletin are the earliest dates when Green Card Applicants may be able to apply for green card or immigrant visa.
Will USCIS speed up 2022?
Washington, D.C., May 6, 2021: Reports from USCIS and from Donoso & Partners' own recent experience indicate that USCIS processing times are likely to drop during the remainder of 2021 and through 2022.
Is NVC scheduling interviews 2022?
While in May 2022, NVC reported 421,136 eligible immigrant visa applicants still pending the scheduling of an interview after May 2022 appointment scheduling was completed, resulting in a growing backlog of 5,350 immigrant visa cases in June.
How long does it take for NVC to send case to Embassy 2022?
Your petition is awaiting an interview appointment. At this time, no further action is required. We appreciate your patience. After the NVC sends you this confirmation, then you can expect to wait between 2-6 months for the NVC to schedule you an interview at the U.S. consulate in your home country.
How long does CEAC processing take?
Document review takes 71 days Time until documents submitted on CEAC are reviewed by NVC. These numbers are anecdotally accurate: my case was processed in April 2021 exactly when this chart predicted. Source: NVC Timeframes page.
What does it mean if USCIS is actively reviewing your case?
The case is actively reviewed by USCIS means, the USCIS is working on your file. There is no additional documentation is required at the moment.
How long does it take for NVC to schedule interview 2022?
How long does it take to get an appointment? Although NVC strives to schedule appointments within three months of NVC's acceptance of all requested documentation, this timeframe is subject to the operating status and capacity of the consular section.
Why is there no movement in visa bulletin?
If there's no bracket below certain dates, there is no movement for those dates/categories in the latest visa bulletin.
How long does it take USCIS to update case status?
Usually, USCIS receipt notice can take anywhere from 15 to 30 days. Sometimes, if there are delays at the Service center, there are cases, where it can take few months. In such cases, you should reach out to USCIS to get to know more.
What does it mean when your priority date is current?
When your priority date arrives, it's known as being current; that means the people with that date are now eligible for visas or green cards. You can check the Visa Bulletin that the U.S. State Department publishes monthly to find out which priority dates are becoming current.
What happens after my priority date is current?
Generally, it is cause for celebration when these individuals' priority dates become current, as then are eligible to apply for adjustment of status. When the Final Action Date becomes current, the individual should receive permanent residence.
When my priority date will become current?
Your priority date have to be before visa bulletin cutoff date to be current. Example, if visa bulletin date is 05MAY11, your priority date have to be May 4 or earlier to be current. If you PD is May 5, you will have to wait for next visa bulletin.
How often is Visa Bulletin updated?
monthlyThe Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication that provides updated monthly numbers of the list of applicants and the "current" priority date for those applicants. The publication normally is issued the second or third week of each month.
What is the visa bulletin?
The U.S. Department of State publishes a monthly visa bulletin. The visa bulletin lets you know when it’s time to claim your green card.
How to know if your visa is current?
Once you know your priority date and your preference category, proceed to the U.S. State Department's monthly visa bulletin. Select the "Current Visa Bulletin." Forward to "Family-Sponsored Preferences" to see a table similar to the sample below. Find your family preference category and compare your priority date to the date listed. If your priority date comes before the date listed, your immigrant visa is current.
When do visas go backwards?
Generally, the cut-off dates on the visa bulletin move forward in time. But sometimes they go backwards. Visa retrogression occurs when more people apply for a visa in a particular category or country than there are visas available for that month. Retrogression typically occurs toward the end of the fiscal year as visa issuance approaches the annual category, or per-country limitations. Sometimes a priority date that meets the cut-off date one month will not meet the cut-off date the next month. When the new fiscal year begins on October 1, a new supply of visas is made available and usually, but not always, returns the dates to where they were before retrogression.
What is the first chart for visa numbers?
The first chart is for “final action dates.” A visa number is actually available if a priority date comes before the date listed in this example chart.
What is CitizenPath online?
The online service is a powerful, do-it-yourself tool that puts you in control. And we've got your back -- CitizenPath provides live customer support and guarantees that USCIS will approve your petition.
What is an I-130?
Use Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) to start the immigration process for a family member. Each year, USCIS rejects or denies thousands of I-130 petitions. Therefore, it's important to get it right.
What does an approved I-130 mean?
The approved I-130 petition means that you’ve established your place in line for a visa, but it is not yet available. In fact, it is the priority date that specifies your specific place in line. You have reached the front of the line when your priority date becomes "current.".
What is the DOS visa bulletin?
DOS, working with the Department of Homeland Security, revises the Visa Bulletin each month to estimate immigrant visa availability for prospective adjustment of status applicants. If DOS makes any changes to either chart in the Visa Bulletin after publishing it, we will review those changes and determine if any further action is necessary. Check the latest dates for filing adjustment of status applications .
When is a visa available?
A visa is available to you when your priority date is earlier than the cut-off date shown for your preference category and country of chargeability in the applicable chart in the Visa Bulletin, as described above in the Acceptance of Adjustment of Status Applications section.
What does U visa mean?
If the Visa Bulletin shows “U” in a category, this means that immigrant visas are temporarily unavailable to all applicants in that particular preference category and/or country of chargeability.
What is the form I-485?
We will accept Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, from family-sponsored and employment-based adjustment of status preference applicants according to the monthly Visa Bulletin that DOS publishes as a guide for issuing visas at U.S. Consulates and Embassies.
What is the Immigration and Nationality Act?
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets the number of immigrant visas the U.S. Department of State (DOS) can issue to aliens seeking to become lawful permanent residents (get a Green Card) each year. Immigrant visas for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are unlimited, so they are always available.
What is visa retrogression?
Sometimes, a priority date that is current one month will not be current the next month, or the cut-off date will move backward to an earlier date. This is called visa retrogression, which occurs when more people apply for a visa in a particular category than there are visas available for that month. Visa retrogression generally occurs when the annual limit for a category or country has been exhausted or is expected to run out soon. When the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, a new supply of visa numbers becomes available. Usually, but not always, the new supply returns the cut-off dates to where they were before retrogression.
What is priority date for I-130?
For family-sponsored immigrants, the priority date is the date that the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, or in certain instances the Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow (er), or Special Immigrant, is properly filed with USCIS.
What does "current" mean in visa bulletin?
The word “Current” in the Visa Bulletin indicates that no backlog presently exists in a particular category. Alternately, “U” or the word “Unavailable” indicates that it is not possible to apply for permanent residence in that category.
When will EB-5 be available in China?
EB-5 China will advance by 7 weeks, to November 8, 2015, and Vietnam will rocket ahead by almost 2 years to April 1, 2020. The employment-based (EB) categories in the Visa Bulletin are as follows: An applicant’s priority date is the day that the government receives the employer’s PERM application.
How often is the visa bulletin issued?
The visa bulletin is issued every month by the Department of State. It shows which green card applications can move forward, based on when the I-130 petition that starts the green card process was originally filed. It also lets you estimate how long it will take before you will be able to get your green card, based on how quickly the “line” is moving now. Once your I-130 petition has been filed, you’ll be able to check the visa bulletin and watch your place in line move forward.
What does "current" mean in visa?
Current: In the context of the visa bulletin, “current” means no backlog and no wait time for a green card. A particular priority date becomes “current” once it reaches the front of the line and a green card is available.
Why is there a backlog for green cards?
Green card backlogs and the Visa Bulletin. The visa bulletin exists because Congress caps the number of green cards that can be issued each year . The number of people who are seeking green cards has consistently exceeded this annual limit, creating a backlog—in fact, several backlogs.
How long does it take to get a green card?
If you’re the spouse or unmarried child (under age 21) of a U.S. green card holder, you’ll have to wait extra 12-18 months for your green card to become available.
Can I get a green card for my spouse?
Since there is no annual limit, there is no backlog, no line to wait in, and nothing to see in the visa bulletin. Spouses of U.S. citizens can apply for a green card as soon as their I-130 petition is approved.
