May 2015 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 India and China Continue to Advance Notably; EB-3 Philippines Major Retrogression; EB-5 China Cutoff Date

The U.S. State Department has just released the May 2015 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the FY2015 fiscal year.   The major headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the significant 7.5-month forward movement in EB-2 India and the 14-month forward movement in EB-2 China.    EB-3 Philippines moves back by seven years and EB-5 China now has a cutoff date.

Summary of the May 2015 Visa Bulletin – Employment-Based (EB)

Below is a summary of the May 2015 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 moves forward significantly by seven and a half (7.5) months to April 15, 2008.  EB-2 China moves forward by fourteen (14) months to June 1, 2012.
• EB-3 ROW and Mexico advance by three (3) months to January 1, 2015.   EB-3 Philippines retrogresses by over seven (7) years back to July 1, 2007.   EB-3 China moves forward by four (4) months to May 1, 2011 while EB-3 India  advances by only one (1) week to January 15, 2004.
• The “other worker” categories for ROW and Mexico advance by three (3) months to January 1, 2015 while Philippines retrogresses by over seven (7) years back to July 1, 2007.   Other workers China moves forward by three (3) months to November 15, 2005 while India  advances by only one (1) week to January 15, 2004.
• EB-5 China now has a cutoff date of May 1, 2013.

Summary of the May 2015 Visa Bulletin – Family-Based (FB)

Below is a summary of the May 2015 Visa Bulletin with respect to some family-based categories:

• FB-1 ROW, China and India move forward by two (2) weeks to August 15, 2007.   FB-1 Mexico moves forward by one (1) week to November 8, 1994 while FB-1 Philippines remains unchanged at February 1, 2005.
• FB-2A moves forward again, this month the forward movement is by one (1) month to September 1, 2013 for ROW, China, India and Philippines.  It also moves forward by one (1) months to August 8, 2013  for Mexico.

Another EB-2 India Significant Forward Movement

This month’s Visa Bulletin brings another significant forward movement in EB-2 India of seven and a half months which is very similar to last month’s eight-month forward movement.  Overall, EB-2 India has advanced by well over two years over the last few months so this is certain a good sign.      EB-2 India applicants with a priority date earlier than April 15, 2008 can now move forward with their applications (or expect approvals if they have already filed their I-485 applications).

The Department of State had indicated that EB-2 India may move forward by four to six months per Visa Bulletin over the next few months so we expect the forward movement in EB-2 India over the next few months to be similarly moderate.

EB-2 China Advances Significantly; EB-3 China Moderate Forward Movement

EB-2 China continues to advance this month.  In fact, this month’s forward movement of 14 months is one of the more significant movements in EB-2 China for some time.   EB-3 China also advances (after a significant retrogression last month) by four months.   We had noted in our earlier Visa Bulletin alerts that the demand in EB-3 China is expected to rise with the forward date movement and it now seems that the Department of State is trying to moderate the demand by retrogressing (last month) and then advancing gradually (this month) the cutoff dates.

EB-5 China Cutoff Date

Based on significant demand in the EB-5 category from Chinese nationals, the Department of State has introduced a cutoff date for EB-5 China.     Further retrogression is also possible (not immediately expected) based on the number of demand from Chinese nationals in this category (which demand has been very strong recently).

EB-3 Philippines Major Retrogression

One significant development is the major retrogression in EB-3 and Other Workers Philippines.   The cutoff dates for these categories are set to move back by over seven years — from October 2014 back to July 2007.   This is a significant retrogression caused by high demand in this category.

It is important to note that EB-3/OW Philippines applicants who have a cutoff date which is current now and who would no longer be current as of May 1st to consider filing their I-485s immediately (if they are in the US) or take other steps to take advantage of the current priority date.   EB-3/OW Philippines candidates who have a priority date between October 1, 2014 and July 1, 2007 will be affected — please contact us for a consultation and analysis of your personal case situation.

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 May 2015 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 May 2015 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.