Full Answer
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.
What is the latest release date for the 2019 Visa Bulletin?
September 2019 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from September 1 to September 30 only).
When does USCIS release the December 2021 Visa Bulletin?
December 2021 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from December 1 to December 31 only). Please see below for more details or click here to view in PDF format. "Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.
What is a Visa Bulletin?
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.
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.
When Visa Bulletin will move?
Aug 8, 2022 The U.S. Department of State released its Visa Bulletin for September 2022. That's a big deal if you're waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward. If you don't know what a “visa bulletin” or a “priority date” is, we've got you covered.
Is August 2022 Visa Bulletin out?
The US Department of State has released its August 2022 Visa Bulletin, outlining per-country priority date cutoffs that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of adjustment of status application and consular immigrant visa application filings and approvals.
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 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.
Why is there no movement in Visa Bulletin?
The State Department released the November Visa Bulletin Thursday, showing no movement to priority-date cutoffs in key employment-based categories. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed that it will follow the State Department's Dates for Filing chart to determine filing eligibility next month.
Why is USCIS taking so long 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.
How long does it take to get a green card 2022?
It takes 7 to 33 months to process a Green Card application. The Green Card processing time depends on the type of Green Card you are applying for, the location of the processing office and other factors. Family Preference Green Cards processing takes from 1 to 10 years depending on the wait time and yearly caps.
What is the current wait time for green card?
It may take up to 90 days from the date you entered to receive your permanent resident card. You entered the U.S. using your immigrant visa, You paid the immigrant visa fee AFTER you entered, It may take up to 90 days from the date you made your payment to receive your permanent resident card.
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 NVC is reviewing my case?
If everything says “Paid,” “Complete,” “In Process,” or “Submitted,” that means NVC is reviewing your case.
How long does it take NVC to schedule interview after Documentarily qualified?
Since we work only one month at a time, we cannot predict when a case will be scheduled. We suggest waiting at least 90 days from notice that your case is documentarily qualified before calling.
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.
Will F3 move forward in 2022?
September 2022 did not yield any advancement for F3-All Countries, as expected. As with most 'preference' categories, we are not expecting any forward movement for F3 until at least the end of the current Fiscal Year in September 2022.
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.
Will F4 move forward in 2022?
First of all, it avoided the F4- All countries debacle where Final Action Dates were advanced too rapidly and led to a retrogression in February 2020, confusing and frustrating applicants....How did the Final Action Date move in the past few months?F4Last SixSep 2022Sep 15, 2005NoneApr 2022Sep 15, 2005None4 more rows
What is the difference between F-2A and F-2A?
For July, family-based applicants — except those in the F-2A category — must use the “Dates for Filing” (available on the State Department’s website ), whereas F-2A must use the “Final Action Dates.”. Employment-based visa applicants must also use the Final Action Dates, as must applicants filing from outside the United States.
How long does it take for Mexico to change its currency?
This category sees no change for all countries except Mexico, which sees a 4-month change
When will the visa bulletin be released?
The U.S. Department of State released its Visa Bulletin for June 2021 . That’s a big deal if you’re waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward.
What countries are waiting for the EB-4?
No wait for the General Category, Central America, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Four-month advance for China and two-month advance for India. In the EB-4 “special immigrants” category, most countries remain current, and Central America and Mexico advance.
When will the DV-2022 be used?
Since it is likely that some of the first *55,000 persons registered will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should ensure that all DV-2022 numbers will be used during fiscal year 2022 (October 1, 2021 until September 30, 2022).
When will the I5 visa be issued?
No I5 or R5 visas may be issued overseas or final action taken on adjustment of status cases after June 30, 2021. The final action dates for the I5 and R5 categories have been listed as “Unavailable” ...
Can You Shorten Your Waiting Time?
The short answer is: probably not. However, there are two prominent cases in which you may be able to shorten your green card processing time, which we will explain here.
How to stay informed about the March 2021 visa?
To stay in the know about things like the March 2021 visa bulletin, you can subscribe to the Department of State’s newsletter by emailing listserv@calist.state.gov with the message “Subscribe Visa Bulletin.”
How long does it take for USCIS to announce chart?
USCIS announces which chart applicants can use within a week of the visa bulletin’s release.
How long did the Philippines advance in F-4?
Philippines advanced just over 5 months in the F-4 category. For the purposes of the July 2021 bulletin, USCIS has indicated to use the Dates for Filing chart for all Family-Sponsored preference categories, except the F2A category which should use the Final Action Dates Chart. Category. Rest of the. World.
What are the chargeability areas for family based immigration?
There are five chargeability areas for this category: China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries . Due to the global pandemic and limited appointments at overseas consular offices, family-based immigrant visas continue to see low usage numbers. Therefore, any family-based visas that are unused get added to the EB categories.
What is the final action date chart?
The Final Action Date chart indicates whether or not it is expected that an immigrant visa number will be available.
What does it mean when there is no bracket for a green card?
If there’s no bracket below certain dates, that means there is no movement for those dates/categories in the latest visa bulletin. Remember, marriage-based green card applicants are known as immediate relatives and don’t have to wait to receive a green card.
What to do if priority date is not current?
Current Step: If your priority date is not current, then you can calculate when it may become current, check your case status, case processing time, etc: https://www.mygcvisa.com/calculator
When will you get Wl?
You will get wl in 2028 so just be patience and take your time.
Does USCIS data change every month?
The dates above have been calculated from data provided by USCIS/DOS. It does not include future demand (which can increase or decrease anytime). Hence data will keep changing every month. We will update these tables as we get more data from USCIS or DOS.
Will the dates change for the F1 visa?
Same for F1, F2B, F3 and F4. No dates will change in the visa bulletin for the coming months. Don't know how many months but looks like a year I think
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 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 .
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.
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 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 Makes the F2A Category Special?
If you look at the visa bulletin, you’ll notice that the wait for a green card is much shorter for the F2A category than it is for any other family-based preference category. That is good news if you’re the spouse of a U.S. green card holder!
What is the F2A category?
F2A: Spouses and unmarried minor children (under age 21) of green card holders. If you are a green card holder who has applied for a green card for your spouse, this is the category you’ll need to watch when you check the visa bulletin. 77% of the second category quota goes towards this F2A sub-category (that’s 87,934 green cards per year).
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 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 is the maximum number of green cards you can get in a year?
F1 (first preference): Unmarried adults (age 21 and over) who are children of U.S. citizens. The cap for this category is 23,400 green cards per year.
What is the cap for F3?
F3 (third preference): Married children of U.S. citizens, regardless of age. The cap for this category is 23,400 green cards per year.
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 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 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.
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 is the second chart for I-485?
The second chart is designated as dates for filing (DF). For consular processing cases, these dates indicate “… when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.” Each month, the USCIS indicates on its website whether the DF dates can also be used as a basis for filing an I-485 application. Under this system, specified applicants are permitted to file their respective I-485s well in advance of green cards actually being available to them.
What is per country limit?
Complicating matters further, there are per-country limits that cap the percentage of visa numbers that can be given to individuals from each country annually. This means that every country, no matter how large or small, is given the same maximum percentage allocation of the worldwide quota. Note that these per-country limits typically are based on country of birth, not country of citizenship.
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 are immediate relatives?
Immediate relatives are: spouses, parents, and minor children (under 21) of U.S. citizens.
