August 2014 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 India Moves Forward by Four Months; EB-3 ROW and FB-2A Remain Unchanged

The U.S. State Department has just released the August 2014 Visa Bulletin which is the eleventh Visa Bulletin for the FY2014 fiscal year.   The major headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the significant (four month) forward movement in EB-2 India, the significant (two years) forward movement in EB-3 China and the lack of any movement in EB-3 ROW and FB-2A.

Summary of the August 2014 Visa Bulletin – Employment-Based (EB)

Below is a summary of the August 2014 Visa Bulletin with respect to the employment-based categories:

• EB-1 remains current across the board.
• EB-2 for ROW, Mexico and Philippines are all current.    EB-2 India advances by almost five (5) months to January 22, 2009.  EB-2 China moves forward by three  (3) months to October 8, 2009.
• EB-3 ROW and Mexico remain unchanged at April 1, 2011.  EB-3 China advances by over two (2) years to November 1, 2008.   EB-3 Philippines advances by one and a half (1.5) years to June 1, 2010, while EB-3 India  moves forward by only one (1) week to November 8, 2003.
• The “other worker” categories for ROW and Mexico remain unchanged at April 1, 2011.  EB-3 China advances by one and a half (1.5) years to July 22, 2005.   EB-3 Philippines advances by one and a half (1.5) years to June 1, 2010, while EB-3 India  moves forward by only one (1) week to November 8, 2003.

Summary of the August 2014 Visa Bulletin – Family-Based (FB)

Below is a summary of the August 2014 Visa Bulletin with respect to family-based categories:

• FB-1 ROW, China and India all move forward by three (3) weeks to April 22, 2007.   FB-1 Mexico moves forward by two (2) months to April 8, 1994 and FB-1 Philippines moves forward by one and a half (1.5) years to June 1, 2004.
• FB-2A remains unchanged for all (after a significant retrogression two months ago) – it remains at May 1, 2012 for ROW, China, India and Philippines.  It remains at March 15, 2011 for Mexico.

EB-2 India Another Significant Forward Movement

After last month’s significant (four years) movement in EB-2 India, this month’s Visa Bulletin brings another welcome (and somewhat expected) piece of news for EB-2 India applicants.     Even though this month’s movement is of about four months, to January 22, 2009, it still allows many EB-2 India applicants to file their I-485 applications.     Over the past few months there has been increasing buildup in the amount of applications waiting for a movement in the EB-2 India category and our office had expected some movement to occur towards the end of the fiscal year.     Our office has been increasingly busy with new I-485 filings (for those who are becoming current this or next month) or for handling I-485 requests for evidence (for those who had pending I-485 applications but had expired medicals).   The four-year forward movement in EB-2 India last month, followed by this month’s Visa Bulletin’s four month forward movement, is done by the U.S. Department of State to allow the government to process a number of pending I-485 applications in order to utilize all of the available visa numbers for the fiscal year (to end on September 30).    We see a number of approvals and expect more approvals on many I-485 cases (which have cleared their RFEs, for some, due to medical exam expiration).

Since many EB-2 India applicants have also ported their EB-3 priority date into EB-2, there will be a significant number of EB-2 India nationals who would have their newly-ported EB-2 priority date become current and who would be eligible to file I-485 adjustment of status applications (together with eligible family members).

In a note found in the Visa Bulletin, the Department of State warns that heavy demand (number of filings) in EB-2 India is likely to cause significant retrogression over the next few months.  Our office continues to see significant number of new I-485 filings under this category so we caution that a retrogression in EB-2 India is possible over the next several months.

Current Priority Date?

Our office stands ready to assist in the applicable process to take advantage of a current (or close to current) priority date.   Those applicants whose priority dates are current as of the August 2014 Visa Bulletin may be eligible to process their (and their family members’) I-485 Adjustment of Status applications from within the U.S. or process their immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate abroad.      Please do not hesitate to contact us if our office can help you take advantage of this (very time-sensitive for some) opportunity to file I-485 applications.    We are also happy to provide a free quote for preparing and filing your I-485 application.

Further Updates and News

We invite you to subscribe to our free weekly immigration newsletter to receive timely updates on this and related topics.  We also invite you to contact us if our office can be of any assistance in your immigration matters or you have any questions or comments about the August 2014 Visa Bulletin.  Finally, if you already haven’t, please consider our Visa Bulletin Predictions tool which provides personalized predictions and charts helping you understand when a particular priority date may become current and what are the movement patterns.