Today, the U.S. Department of State released the September 2017 Visa Bulletin.
As reported in last month’s visa bulletin update, the cut-off dates imposed on the EB-2 Worldwide quota, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines categories remain in place, with expectations to go back to current in October 2017. Cut-off dates for EB-1 India and China also remain unchanged until the next fiscal year (October 2017). Overall the September visa bulletin shows very little movement which is to be expected with the end of the 2017 fiscal year.
The EIG team is closely monitoring changes to the monthly visa bulletin and determining the best plan of action for each case. If you have questions about your priority date and how next month’s visa bulletin will/may impact your green card case, please reach out to your EIG attorney. We have also summarized frequently asked questions in our latest issue of the EIG Dispatch, we encourage you to read this article to have a better grasp of the visa bulletin and to understand what your priority date means.
PLEASE NOTE: For the month of August, USCIS has made a determination to use the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based and family-based categories. At this time, USCIS has not announced whether it will be accepting pre-filings for any employment-based or family-based categories for the month of September. EIG will continue to monitor the situation and provide an update when USCIS has made a determination. For more information, please visit the USCIS website.
The September 2017 Visa Bulletin can be further summarized below:
Application Final Action Dates (dates when visas may be issued)
EB-1
- Persons in the EB-1 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of January 1, 2012. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the EB-1 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of January 1, 2012. This category remains unchanged.
- All persons in the worldwide quota, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the Philippines are current. This category remains unchanged.
EB-2
- Persons in the EB-2 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of May 15, 2013. This category advanced by 23 days.
- Persons in the EB-2 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of August 22, 2008. This category advanced by 1 month.
- All persons in the worldwide quota, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the Philippines are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of January 1, 2016. This category has advanced by 9 months.
EB-3
- Persons in the EB-3 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, or in the worldwide quota are current. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the EB-3 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of January 1, 2012. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the EB-3 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of October 15, 2006. This category advanced by 3 months.
- Persons in the EB-3 category and born in the Philippines are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of November 1, 2015. This category advanced by 5 months.
EB-4
- Persons in the EB-4 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of October 22, 2015. This category advanced by 1 month 7 days.
- Persons in the worldwide quota, China, and the Philippines are current. This category remains unchanged.
EB-5
- Persons in the EB-5 Non Regional Center (C5 and T5) category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of June 15, 2014. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the worldwide quota, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, and the Philippines are current. This category remains unchanged.
Dates for Filing Applications (earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply)
EB-1
- All countries are current. This category remains unchanged.
EB-2
- Persons in the EB-2 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of October 1, 2013. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the EB-2 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of February 1, 2009. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the worldwide quota, Mexico, and the Philippines are current. This category remains unchanged.
EB-3
- Persons in the EB-3 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of September 1, 2015. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the EB-3 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of January 1, 2007. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the EB-3 category and born in the Philippines are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of January 1, 2016. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the worldwide quota and Mexico are current. This category remains unchanged.
EB-4
- All countries are current. This category remains unchanged.
EB-5
- Persons in the EB-5 Non Regional Center (C5 and T5) category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of September 01, 2014. This category remains unchanged.
- Persons in the worldwide quota, India, Mexico, and the Philippines are current. This category remains unchanged.
The complete Visa Bulletin for September 2017 can be found here.