June 2015 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 India and China Continue to Advance Notably; EB-3 Philippines Another Major Retrogression

The U.S. State Department has just released the June 2015 Visa Bulletin which is the ninth Visa Bulletin for the FY2015 fiscal year.   The major headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the continued significant (5.5 months) forward movement in EB-2 India and the 12-month forward movement in EB-2 China.    EB-3 Philippines moves back again by two and a half years.

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

Below is a summary of the June 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 five and a half (5.5) months to October 1, 2008.  EB-2 China moves forward by twelve (12) months to June 1, 2013.
• EB-3 ROW and Mexico advance by six (6) weeks to February 15, 2015.   EB-3 Philippines retrogresses (again!) by over two and a half (2.5) years back to January 1, 2005.   EB-3 China moves forward by four (4) months to September 1, 2011 while EB-3 India  advances by only one (1) week to January 22, 2004.
• The “other worker” categories for ROW and Mexico advance by six (6) weeks to February 15, 2015 while Philippines retrogresses (again) by two and a half (2.5) years back to January 1, 2005.   Other workers China moves forward by six (6) weeks to January 1, 2006 while India  advances by only one (1) week to January 22, 2004.
• EB-5 China now has a cutoff date of May 1, 2013.

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

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

• FB-1 ROW, China and India move forward by only two (2) weeks to September 1, 2007.   FB-1 Mexico moves forward by one (1) week to November 15, 1994 while FB-1 Philippines retrogresses by about five years to March 1, 2000.
• FB-2A moves forward again, this month the forward movement is by one (1) month to October 1, 2013 for ROW, China, India and Philippines.  It remains unchanged at August 8, 2013  for Mexico.

Another EB-2 India Significant (but Slowing) Forward Movement

This month’s Visa Bulletin brings another significant forward movement in EB-2 India of five and a half months which is a bit less than last two months’ forward movements of about eight months.    Overall, EB-2 India has by about three years over the last few months so this is certain a good sign.      EB-2 India applicants with a priority date earlier than October 1, 2008 can now move forward with their applications (or expect approvals if they have already filed their I-485 applications).    However, it should be noted that the rate of forward movement is slowing down, suggesting that the Department of State may be trying to account for increasing demand in new filings and approvals in EB-2 India.

The Department of State had indicated that EB-2 India may move forward by four to six months per Visa Bulletin over the summer 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.  This month’s forward movement of 12 months, combined with last month’s movement of fourteen months, are among the more significant movements in EB-2 China for some time.   EB-3 China also advances this month (after a significant retrogression two months ago) 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 (two months ago) and then advancing gradually (last two months) the cutoff dates.

EB-5 China Cutoff Date

Based on significant demand in the EB-5 category from Chinese nationals, the Department of State had introduced a cutoff date for EB-5 China in the last month’s Visa Bulletin.   EB-5 China remains unchanged this month at May 1, 2013.   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 (Another) Major Retrogression

Unfortunately for many EB-3 Philippines applicants, the EB-3 category moves back by another two and a half years this month, in addition to last month’s retrogression by over seven years.  This is a significant retrogression caused by high demand in this category and the Department of State has indicated that additional retrogression may be needed as well.

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 June 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 July 1, 2007 and January 1, 2005 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 June 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 June 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.