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Last Updated On: September 29, 2023 | Published On: March 10, 2017
It’s that time of the month again. The time when the Department of State releases its monthly report on where the final action dates stand. Because getting a green card is often the end goal for many immigration cases, we understand that the April 2017 visa bulletin carries valuable information. Read on to have that information broken down in a simple, accessible way.
Here is a brief overview of the changes that we will go into more detail about later on. Like in previous months, many of the preference categories for both family-based and employment-based immigrant visas have had their final action dates moved forward by several weeks. Some have even seen changes amounting to several months. Fortunately, no final action dates have retrogressed to previous dates.
If you would like to see the official April 2017 visa bulletin, you can visit the Department of State website.
Like in previous months, the family-based categories are broken down into four preferences and five chargeability groups. Those groups are mainland China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and the general chargeability category (meaning all countries not listed). In order to analyze and make predictions about the visa bulletin for April 2017, we first need to look at how the dates have moved from the previous month.
The first preference, called the F1 green card, is for the children of current U.S. citizens.
The second preference, the F2 green card, is broken down into two categories:
F2A: created for the children and spouses of lawful permanent residents or green card holders.
F2B: meant for unmarried children of lawful permanent residents that are over 21 years old.
The third preference is also called the F3 and was designed for the married children of current U.S. citizens.
The final preference category is the F4 which was created for the brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens who are at least 21 years old.
Here is the chart for family-based visas taken from the April 2017 visa bulletin.
In the April 2017 visa bulletin, the employment-based categories are broken down into five individual preference levels and six chargeability areas. Those areas are mainland China, Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras), India, Mexico, the Philippines, and the general chargeability category. Because the fourth and fifth preference levels are rare cases, we will focus only on the first three levels for our analysis and visa bulletin April 2017 predictions.
The first preference is known as the EB-1 green card and is designated for workers with extraordinary achievement, professors, researchers, executives, and managers.
If you are an EB-1 applicant, then you will find that the final action dates across all chargeability countries are current. This means that an immigrant visa number will be available when you receive approval for your I-140 petition.
The second preference level, the EB-2 green card, is meant for professionals holding advanced degrees or that have exceptional ability in their field.
The EB-3 green card is further separated into three subcategories: skilled workers who have 2 years of experience, bachelor’s degree holders, and a subcategory called “other workers” (unskilled workers). This third subcategory has dates that differ slightly from the other two, as can be seen by the chart.
The “other workers” category has only one date that is different from the other two. For China, the final action date has moved forward one month from February 1, 2006 to March 1, 2006.
Here is the chart for employment-based visas taken from the April 2017 visa bulletin.
Keeping up with the ever-fluctuating immigration policies and dates can be frustrating. Luckily, the Department of State allows you to subscribe to their monthly newsletters.Just send an email to [email protected] with a message body that reads “Subscribe Visa Bulletin” to start receiving important info like the April 2017 visa bulletin predictions right away.
The green card process can be long and difficult, especially for certain preference levels. Fortunately, there is a way to make sure that you are making the best decisions with your immigration case. By retaining the services of a qualified immigration attorney, you can be sure that you are on the fastest path to your green card.
The immigration lawyers here at SGM Law Group specialize in green cards and work visas. If you want to make sure that your case is in experienced hands, then you can always fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation today.
