August 2018 Visa Bulletin Released

The U.S. Department of State has released the August 2018 Visa Bulletin: In addition to the India and China EB-1 categories, all other countries now have a cut-off date for the month of August in the EB-1 category. The retrogression is most likely due to the limited number of visas available in the EB-1 category for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year. We anticipate that the EB-1 category for all countries will revert back to current on October 1, 2018, at the start of the new fiscal year.

EB-3 China, which experienced a significant retrogression in the month of July visa bulletin, has now advanced to a cut-off date of July 1, 2014, advancing by 1 year 6 months. All other EB-2 and EB-3 categories see steady advancements, the most significant being the EB-3 India category, closing the gap with EB-2 India, with a cut-off date of January 1, 2009.

The EIG team is closely monitoring changes to the monthly visa bulletin and determining the best plan of action for each case. We will be reaching out to individuals whose priority date will be current next month in order to initiate the next step of the green card process. We have also summarized frequently asked questions in our August 8th 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 July, USCIS has made a determination to use the Final Action Dates chart for employment-based categories, but for family-based categories is accepting applications based on the Dates of Filing chart. 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 August. 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 August 2018 Visa Bulletin can be found here and is summarized below:

Application Final Action Dates (dates when visas may be issued)

• Persons in the EB-2 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, Vietnam, or in the worldwide quota are current. This category remains unchanged. 

• Persons in the EB-2 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of March 1, 2015. This category advanced by 2 months. 

• Persons in the EB-2 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of March 15, 2009. This category remains unchanged.

• Persons in the EB-3 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Vietnam, 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 July 1, 2014. This category advanced by 1 year 6 months.  

• 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, 2009. This category advanced by 2 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 June 1, 2017. This category advanced by 5 months. 

Dates for Filing Applications (earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply)

EB-1

• All countries are current. This category remains unchanged.

• Persons in the EB-2 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, or in the worldwide quota are current. This category remains unchanged. 

• Persons in the EB-2 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of April 1, 2015. 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 May 22, 2009. This category remains unchanged. 

• 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, 2016. 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 May 1, 2009. 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 July 1, 2017. This category remains unchanged.

• Persons in the worldwide quota, El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of May 1, 2016. This category remains unchanged. 

• 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 October 01, 2014. This category remains unchanged. 

• Persons in the worldwide quota, India, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, or the Philippines are current. This category remains unchanged.