June 2017 Visa Bulletin | Report, Predictions & Analysis

People around the world eagerly await the monthly visa bulletin to see if their priority date is any closer to being current. Here at SGM Law Group, we make sure to take a moment and help our readers digest the numbers and facts from the bulletin so you can have a better idea of where your green card stands. For an easy-to-access analysis of the June 2017 visa bulletin, you’ve come to the right place.

June 2017 Visa Bulletin Overview

Overall, the June 2017 visa bulletin shows an average amount of movement in most areas compared to previous months. However, there are some sections that have seen no movement whatsoever. But what is truly alarming is this: for the first time in many months, the EB-1 category has retrogressed several years. Learn which countries are affected below.

As a reminder, the date that the USCIS receives your green card petition is your priority date. You will need to keep up-to-date with the final action dates given in each month’s visa bulletin.

Once your priority date matches or passes the given final action date in your preference level and country, your priority date will be considered current. You will then be able to file your application to adjust your status. For those sections that are already current, you will be able to adjust your status as soon as your petition is approved.

Family-Based Visa Preference Categories

There are four preference levels and five chargeability groups in the family-based green card category. The chargeability groups are China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and all other countries (called the general category). Let’s take a look at how the dates have moved in the visa bulletin for June 2017.

First Preference

The F1 green card is the first preference and is designed for the children of U.S. citizens to immigrate to the country.

• The dates for the general category, China, and India have all moved forward 2 weeks from December 8, 2010 to December 22, 2010.
• For Mexico, the date has moved up 10 weeks from June 15, 1995 to September 1, 1995.
• The date for the Philippines has moved forward 11 weeks from February 1, 2006 to April 22, 2006.

Second Preference

The second family-based preference level is the F2 green card has two main categories with differing dates:

F2A: this is for the spouses and dependents of lawful permanent residents (green card holders).

• The dates for all areas except for Mexico have moved forward one month from July 15, 2015 to August 15, 2015.
• The date for Mexico has also moved forward one month from June 22, 2015 to July 22, 2015.

F2B: for the unmarried children of green card holders that are 21 years old or older.

• For the general category, China, and India, the dates have all moved forward 3 weeks from October 1, 2010 to October 22, 2010.
• The date for Mexico has gone up 9 weeks from February 1, 1996 to April 8, 1996.
• In the Philippines, the date has moved forward 7 weeks from August 1, 2006 to September 22, 2006.

Third Preference

The F3 green card is for the married children of U.S. citizens.

• The dates for the general category, China, and India have moved up 2 weeks from June 15, 2005 to July 1, 2005.
• The date for Mexico has moved forward one month from January 22, 1995 to February 22, 1995.
• For the Philippines, the date has gone up 2 weeks from September 22, 1994 to October 8, 1994.

Fourth Preference

The last family-based preference level is the F4. F4 applicants are the siblings (brothers and sisters) of U.S. citizens. As in previous months, this category has seen the least amount of movement.

• Unfortunately, for the general category and China, the dates have not seen any movement from last month and remain at May 8, 2004.
• For India, the date has moved forward one week from September 8, 2003 to September 15, 2003.
• The date for Mexico has moved up two weeks from July 1, 1997 to July 15, 1997.
• Lastly, the date for the Philippines has gone up 5 weeks from October 15, 1993 to November 22, 1993.

Family-Based Visa Chart

Employment-Based Visa Category Dates

The June 2017 visa bulletin breaks the employment-based categories down into five preference levels as well as six chargeability areas. Those areas are the general category, China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and Central America (or Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras). For the purposes of this visa bulletin analysis, we will only focus on the first three preference levels.

FIRST PREFERENCE

The EB-1, a very prestigious green card, has not seen retrogression in many months. It is designed for people with extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers and professors, and multinational managers and executives. This month, however, we see that two areas are affected by the retrogression.

• Both China and India now have retrogressed dates at January 1, 2012.
• All other chargeability areas have current priority dates.

SECOND PREFERENCE

The EB-2 green card is for foreign nationals who possess either an advanced degree or exceptional ability in their field.

• The date for China has moved forward 3 weeks from February 8, 2013 to March 1, 2013.
• For India, the date has gone up one week from June 22, 2008 to July 1, 2008.
• All other chargeability areas have current priority dates.

THIRD PREFERENCE

The third employment-based preference level is the EB-3 green card for professionals (bachelor’s degree holders), experienced workers, and unskilled or “other” workers. This last category has slightly different dates than the other two, which can be noted on the chart below.

• The dates for the general category, Central America, and Mexico have all gone forward one month from March 15, 2017 to April 15, 2017.
• For China, the date has unfortunately not seen any movement and remains at October 1, 2014.
• The date for India has moved forward about 7 weeks from March 25, 2005 to May 15, 2005.
• For the Philippines, the date has leaped forward five months from January 1, 2013 to May 1, 2013.
• Lastly, for the “other workers” category, the only difference is in the date for China, which has also leaped forward 4 months and 1 week from March 8, 2006 to July 15, 2006.

Employment-Based Visa Chart

June 2017 Visa Bulletin Predictions

The visa bulletin for June 2017 has definitely made some changes from the previous months. With no movement in several areas and even a retrogression in the EB-1 category, this tells us that more people are petitioning for green cards as the months go on. If this continues, we may see more retrogression in the future.

In addition to this, there are policies in the making (such as the newest Executive Order on Protecting American Jobs) that call for a reevaluation of the green card issue to streamline the process. How this will be done remains to be seen, but we may begin seeing improvement closer to the beginning of the 2018 fiscal year (October 1, 2017).

How You Can Stay In The Know

Don’t miss a single visa bulletin update by subscribing to the Department of State’s monthly newsletter. Have the news like the June 2017 visa bulletin sent to your email address by sending a message to [email protected] with a message body that contains the words “Subscribe Visa Bulletin”.

How Our Immigration Attorneys Can Help

With more and more people filing for green cards every day, the backlog is growing and the wait times are getting longer. Don’t let the June 2017 visa bulletin worry you. If you have already filed your petition or are planning on filing one in the future, it’s always best to have a qualified attorney at your side.

Here at SGM Law Group, our dedicated immigration lawyers are on hand to make sure that you have the best chances for approval, that your wait time is as short as possible, and that any unexpected issues are handled with expert care.

To get in touch with one of our attorneys for your green card process, feel free to fill out this contact form and schedule your consultation today.