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Last Updated On: September 29, 2023 | Published On: February 9, 2017
The Department of State has just released it’s monthly update for immigrant visa applicants. With the March 2017 Visa Bulletin only a few hours old, it’s time to break down what changes have been made to the final action dates and the dates of filing.
To quickly summarize the changes before diving into the details, there have been many movements forward across the both the family-based and employment-based preference categories. Almost every category has moved forward at least several weeks with the exception of a few. Some, such as Chinese EB-3 applicants, may be pleasantly surprised by how far their final action date has moved. We are also pleased to announce that no dates have retrogressed since last month.
However, in order to fully understand the changes, we must take a look at the specific dates for the major preference categories. Be sure to see the full March 2017 Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website.
The bulletin breaks the chargeability countries down into five separate groups: All Other Chargeability Areas (general areas), China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The F1 is a family-based green card visa that is reserved for the children of U.S. citizens.
F2A: This preference level is designed for the spouses and children of lawful permanent residents (green card holders).
F2B: This category is reserved for the adult unmarried children of lawful permanent residents. These children must be 21 years of age or older.
The F3 is for the married children of U.S. citizens.
The F4 is meant for the siblings (brothers or sisters) of U.S. citizens who are 21 years of age or older.
The bulletin breaks the employment-based green card chargeability countries down into five separate groups: All Other Chargeability Areas (general areas), China, India, Mexico, the Philippines as well as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (Central America).
The EB1 immigrant visa is designed for extraordinary workers, researchers, professors, managers, or executives.
Fortunately for EB1 applicants, the final action dates for all countries remain current. Meaning that you can apply for your green card as soon as your I-140 petition is approved.
EB2 visas are reserved for foreign professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability.
The EB3 visa is divided into three categories: skilled workers (requiring at least 2 years of experience), professionals with bachelor’s degrees, and “other workers”. The other workers category has a slightly different set of final action dates, as shown by the charts.
The final action dates for the third preference “other workers” category are exactly the same as the dates shown above except for one difference: for China, the date has moved two months from December 1, 2005 to Februrary 1, 2006.
If you want to keep up with the latest changes in the complex world of immigration law, you can always subscribe to the monthly newsletters released from the Department of State. All you need to do is send an email to [email protected] with the words “Subscribe Visa Bulletin” in the message body.
If you are in the process of obtaining a green card or would like to start that process, it’s always best to have a reputable team of experienced immigration lawyers helping you along the way.
Our immigration attorneys specialize in both family-based and employment-based green cards. If you want your green card as quickly as possible with the fewest obstacles, SGM Law Group is the firm for you. To contact one of our attorneys, you can fill out this contact form to schedule a consultation.
