State Dept. Releases the August 2021 Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State released the August 2021 Visa Bulletin on July 14, 2021. Overall, EB-2 for China and EB-3 for India showed at least four (4) months of progress under Final Action Dates (Chart A). EB-2 and EB-3 for China and India remain unchanged under Dates for Filing (Chart B). Future visa bulletins should continue to progress forward as they have in past months.

PLEASE NOTE: The USCIS has not indicated whether they will accept adjustment of status applications pursuant to Final Action Dates (Chart A) or Dates for Filing (Chart B) for August 2021 at this time. For more information, please visit the USCIS website.

FINAL ACTION DATES (Chart A):

EB-1:
The Final Action Dates for the EB-1 employment-based category in the Final Action Dates (Chart A) remains current for all countries.

EB-2:
The Final Action Dates for the EB-2 category for people born in China advanced by 4 months to April 1, 2018. The EB-2 category for people born in India remains unchanged at June 1, 2011.

EB-3:
The Final Action Dates for the EB-3 category for people born in China advanced by 8 days to January 8, 2019. The EB-3 category for people born in India advanced by 6 months to July 1, 2013.

EB-4:
The Final Action Dates for the EB-4 category for people born in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras advanced by 1 month to January 1, 2019. The EB-4 category for people born in Mexico remains unchanged at February 1, 2020.

DATES FOR FILING (Chart B):

EB-1:
The Dates for Filing for EB-1 employment-based category in the Dates for Filing (Chart B) remain current for all countries.

EB-2:
The Dates for Filing for the EB-2 category for people born in China remains unchanged at July 1, 2018. The EB-2 category for people born in India remains unchanged at December 1, 2011.

EB-3:
The Dates for Filing for the EB-3 category for people born in China remains unchanged at July 1, 2019. The EB-3 category for people born in India remains unchanged at February 1, 2014.

EB-4:
The Dates for Filing for the EB-4 category for people born in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras remains unchanged at March 1, 2019.

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

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. 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 April 1, 2018. This category advanced by 4 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 June 1, 2011. This category remains unchanged. 

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 January 8, 2019. This category advanced by 8 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 July 1, 2013. This category advanced by 6 months. 

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 January 1, 2019. 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 February 1, 2020. 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 November 15, 2015. This category advanced by 7 days.
• Persons in the EB-5 Non-Regional Center (C5 and T5) category and born in India, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, Vietnam, 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