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How does Visa Bulletin Work?
The visa bulletin shows you when you may proceed with your green card application based on when you originally filed your Form I-130 (the “Petition for Alien Relative”). Once you have submitted Form I-130, you'll be able to check the visa bulletin to figure out the wait time for continuing your green card application.
How do I check my Visa Bulletin?
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 Visa Bulletin”.
What is USCIS Visa Bulletin?
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS. This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during August for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
What is the priority date in Visa Bulletin?
The application date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who cannot submit documentation to the National Visa Center for an immigrant visa. If a category is designated “current,” all applicants in the relevant category may file applications, regardless of priority date.
How do I know if my visa is approved?
Check the Status of a Visa Application For nonimmigrant visas, call 1-603-334-0888. Or use the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC).
How long does it take to get green card after interview 2022?
Once your card is ready, USCIS will mail your Green Card, around six months from the date of the interview, to the address that you had provided, in both cases.
Why is USCIS taking so long to process 2022?
The reasons for these delays are twofold: (1) the COVID19 pandemic impacted the efficiency and productivity of USCIS and all government functions, including mail delivery, and (2) the Trump Administration delayed processing of visa petitions as a way to reduce the number of legal immigrants entering the United States.
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 many green cards left 2022?
USCIS racing to 280,000 before the end of fiscal year FY2022 The United Citizenship and Immigration Services is racing against time to issue 280,000 green cards at the end of the fiscal year i.e., September 30, 2022.
Will USCIS speed up 2022?
USCIS Extends Premium-Processing to Certain Pending Immigrant Petitions. On May 24, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an expansion of premium processing service to two additional categories of Form I-140 immigrant petitions.
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.
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 do I know if my priority date is current?
You can find your priority date on the I-797 form mailed by USCIS approving your I-130 petition. 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 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.
What is the current priority date for NVC?
The date your petition was filed is called your priority date.
Is NVC scheduling interviews 2022?
After reviewing your application, the NVC will schedule your immigrant visa interview. As of April 25, 2022, the NVC is reviewing documents submitted on or before February 4, 2022. Applicants must still complete all necessary formalities for their applications before the NVC reviews their case.
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 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.".
Where is the priority date on an I-130?
The priority date is in the top section of the document . In the example below, a red circle identifies the priority date.
What is the visa bulletin?
The U.S. Department of State issues the “ visa bulletin ” each month. The visa bulletin shows you when you may proceed with your green card application based on when you originally filed your Form I-130 (the “Petition for Alien Relative”).
How to read the visa bulletin
To read the visa bulletin correctly, you’ll first need to familiarize yourself with some important terms and procedures.
What is a visa retrogression?
Typically, cut-off dates for the visa bulletin continue to move forward. But, sometimes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State get more green card applications for certain categories in a month than they had expected. When this happens, the cut-off dates for the next month may move backward.
Conclusion
Applying for a green card can be complicated, but working with a good immigration attorney can make it easier. If you can't afford the attorney fees and don't want to handle your green card case alone, we may be able to help.
What is the Visa Bulletin?
A priority date is a date an immigrant petition was filed and received by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The priority date is secured once your immigrant petition is approved, at which time the applicant is placed in the visa queue for further processing. In other words, the priority date represents your place in line and helps estimate how long it will take before arriving in the US and receiving your green card.
What is the chart for employment based visas?
There are two important charts to monitor for the employment-based category visas, which are Chart A: Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases, and Chart B: Dates for Filing of Employment-Based Visa Applications. Chart A is what we know as true as of the moment the Visa Bulletin is issued. Applications with the dates listed on Chart A: Final Action Dates on the monthly Visa Bulletin may be approved for their Green Card (Permanent Residency card) or Immigrant Visa appointment.
Why is there a limit on the number of green cards that can be issued each year?
The reason for a date showing on this chart is due to an overuse of that category. The U.S. Congress puts a limit on the number of green cards that can be issued each year with a specific quota for each visa category. Thousands of people are seeking green cards every year which has created several backlogs because the annual limit has been reached. Unfortunately, the Immigration Service will continue to file petitions; however, your place in that queue gets longer and longer if you do not have a green card petition filed.
Is every country listed in the Visa Bulletin?
As you can see, not every country is listed in these charts. In that second column, you can see “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed,” which refers to every single country in the world, except those listed in the columns to the right of that. In this month’s Visa Bulletin, “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed,” have the letter C listed. The countries that are typically separated from the rest of the world will have a specific date listed if there is a backlog.
What does "current" mean in visa?
However, the term also is commonly used to simply indicate that a person has a case with a priority date that is earlier than the cutoff date.
Why is there a visa cutoff date?
As indicated above, the reason for the visa bulletin cutoff date system is that, by law, there are annual limits on the number of foreign nationals who can become U.S. permanent residents under most immigrant visa categories. The quota is controlled by the use of visa numbers, and allocated between the EB and FB green card categories.
What is priority date for FB?
In a family-based (FB) case, the priority date is assigned based on the date that the petition for alien relative (form I-130) is properly filed with the USCIS. Note, however, that in an immediate relative case – that is, a FB case filed for the spouse, parent, or minor child of a U.S. citizen – the priority date generally is not important. This category is not subject to visa backlogs and, therefore, such a case can move forward without waiting for a visa number to become available.
What does the FA chart mean for I-485?
The FA chart dates listed for both the EB and FB categories indicate which I-485 or immigrant visa cases may be approved in a given month. If the visa bulletin chart states “C” for a given category and country, that indicates that the numbers are current in the particular category for the country of chargeability. This means that there are enough visa numbers for anyone with an approved petition in this category to either receive an immigrant visa or obtain approval of her/his pending I-485 application.
What is the priority date for a green card?
The priority date in an employment-based (EB) green card case requiring a PERM labor certification is the officially acknowledged date that the case is filed with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). If the EB case is filed in a category that does not require a labor certification, then the priority date assigned is the date that the immigrant petition (most commonly form I-140) is properly filed with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Which countries have the longest wait times for visas?
immigration, such as India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines, often experience longer wait times for visa numbers than individuals from countries with less demand.
Can I file an I-485 if I have a priority date?
If the priority date of a particular case is before the cutoff date, then the otherwise qualified foreign national is eligible to receive a green card or immigrant visa during that particular month. The FA cutoff dates can also be used as a basis for filing an I-485.
