October 2013 Visa Bulletin Analysis

Shilpa Malik Sabrina Saada

Last Updated On: September 29, 2023 | Published On: September 17, 2013

October 2013 Visa Bulletin Analysis

October 2013 Visa Bulletin has been released by the US Department of State and this article provides an analysis of the key priority dates. The DOS has released priority date changes for the FB2A category (spouse and minor children of green card holders). FB2A is no longer considered current as was posted in the September 2013 Visa Bulletin. For most countries, excluding Mexico, the priority date has changed to September 8, 2013.The cutoff date for Mexico is September 1, 2013. Other family-based and employment-based categories remain consistent.

October 2013 Visa Bulletin Summary:

Family-Based:

  • FB-1 moves ahead. ROW, China, India, and Mexico all advance by two weeks. The China and India cutoff date is October 1, 2006. Mexico’s cutoff date is September 22, 1993. The Philippines moves three weeks ahead to June 1, 2001. 
  • FB-2B for all countries moves forward by two weeks. The ROW, China, and India move to March 1, 2006.  Mexico moves their cut off date to March 8, 1994. The Philippines moves ahead two weeks to February 8, 2003.

Employment-Based:

  • EB-1 has not changed.
  • EB-2 for the ROW, Philippines, and Mexico remain current. China moves ahead five weeks to September 15, 2008. India’s cutoff date stays at June 15, 2008.
  • EB-3 for ROW, China, and Mexico it stays at July 1, 2010. The Philippines advance ahead by two weeks to December 15, 2006. India’s date has not changed and it remains at September 22, 2003.
  • The “other workers” category only has slight changes. It continues to stay at July 10, 2010 for ROW and Mexico. The Philippines move forward by two weeks to December 15, 2006. China advances ahead by three months to September 22, 2004. India stays at September 22, 2003.

The Bottom Line:

Though the FB-2A has slightly digressed, the cutoff date still remains fairly current at September 8, 2013 and at September 1, 2013 for Mexico. Another positive aspect for October’s 2013 Visa Bulletin is that most dates for family-based and employment-based visas have not lengthened.

If you have any further questions about family-based or employment-based immigrant visas, please contact our immigration lawyers for additional information.