January 2021 Visa Bulletin Released

The U.S. Department of State released the January 2021 Visa Bulletin.

The USCIS has indicated that it will accept adjustment of status applications pursuant to the Final Action Dates (Chart A) for January 2021. For more information, please visit the USCIS website.

FINAL ACTION DATES (Chart A):
The Final Action Dates for employment-based visa applications in the EB-1 category for people born in China and India advanced by 5 months to September 1, 2019.
The Final Action Dates for EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5 employment-based categories see a little movement forward.

DATES FOR FILING (Chart B):
The Dates of Filing for employment-based visa applications in all employment-based categories remain mostly unchanged.

The EIG team is closely monitoring changes to the monthly visa bulletin and determining the best plan of action for each case. We will reach out to individuals whose priority date will be current next month to initiate the next step of the green card process. We have also summarized frequently asked questions in our August 8 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.

The January 2021 Visa Bulletin can be found here and is summarized below:

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

EB-1
  • Persons in the EB-1 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, Vietnam, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain unchanged. 
  • Persons in the EB-1 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of September 1, 2019. This category advanced by 5 months.
  • Persons in the EB-1 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of September 1, 2019. This category advanced by 5 months.
EB-2
  • Persons in the EB-2 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, Vietnam, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain 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 June 1, 2016. This category advanced by 1 month.
  • Persons in the EB-2 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of October 08, 2009. This category advanced by 7 days. 
EB-3
  • Persons in the EB-3 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, Vietnam, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain 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 December 15, 2017. This category advanced by 1 month and 14 days. 
  • Persons in the EB-3 category and born in India are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of March 22, 2010. This category advanced by 7 days. 
EB-4
  • Persons in the EB-4 category born in China, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain unchanged.
  • Persons in the EB-4 category and born in El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of March 1, 2018. This category advanced by 1 month. 
  • Persons in the EB-4 category and born in Mexico are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of December 1, 2018. This category advanced by 9 days.
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 August 15, 2015. This category remains unchanged.
  • Persons in the EB-5 Non-Regional Center (C5 and T5) category and born in Vietnam are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of September 15, 2017. This category advanced by 14 days.
  • Persons in the EB-5 Non-Regional Center (C5 and T5) category and born in India, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain unchanged.

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

EB-1

  • Persons in the EB-1 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain unchanged.
  • Persons in the EB-1 category and born in China are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of November 1, 2020. 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 November 1, 2020. This category remains unchanged.
EB-2
  • Persons in the EB-2 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain 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 October 1, 2016. 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 15, 2011. This category remains unchanged.
EB-3
  • Persons in the EB-3 category and born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Philippines, or in the worldwide quota are now current. These categories remain 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 June 1, 2018. 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, 2014. This category remains unchanged.
EB-4 
  • Persons in the EB-4 category and born in China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, or in the worldwide quota are current. These categories remain unchanged.
  • Persons in the EB-4 category and born in El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras are current if they have a priority date before the cut-off date of July 1, 2018. This category advanced by 2 months.
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 December 15, 2015. This category remains unchanged.
  • Persons in the worldwide quota, India, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, or the Philippines are current. These categories remain unchanged.

The complete Visa Bulletin for January 2021 can be found here

Contributors: 
Kristina Gancarova, Law Clerk