In this blog post, we discuss visa bulletin trends and projections for the month of March. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently released the March 2020 Visa Bulletin revealing some good and bad news for employment based categories and family preference categories.
Adjustment of Status Filing Charts March 2020:
For Family-Sponsored Filings:
In the F2A category, there is a cutoff date on the Dates for Filing chart. However, the category is “current” on the Final Action Dates chart. Accordingly, applicants in the F2A category may file using the Final Action Dates chart for March 2020.
For all other family-sponsored preference categories, applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for March 2020.
For Employment-Based Preference Filings:
For all employment-based preference categories, applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for March 2020.
Employment-based Categories: The Highlights
China: This month, employment based categories for China experienced varying degrees of forward movement, with EB-3 experiencing the most advancement.
- EB-1 China advanced ten days to June 1, 2017
- EB-2 China advanced one month to August 15, 2015
- EB-3 China advanced nearly three months to March 22, 2016
India: Likewise, employment-based categories for India creeped forward in the month of March, with EB-2 India experiencing the most advancement.
- EB-1 India advanced two months to March 1, 2015
- EB-2 India advanced three months to May 22, 2009
- EB-3 India advanced one week to January 15, 2009
Other Countries (including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam):
- EB-1: Advanced three months to March 1, 2019
- EB-2: Is current
- EB-3: Experienced a three-year retrogression to January 1, 2017.
Note: EB-3 “All Other Countries” is expected to remain backlogged for the foreseeable future.
EB-3 Other Workers: The cutoff dates for EB-3 other workers remain the same for every country except China (January 01, 2017). China’s EB-3 cutoff date is June 01, 2008.
EB-4: The cutoff dates for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras advance to July 15, 2016. EB-4. EB-4 Mexico advances to November 15, 2017. This category is current for all other countries of chargeability.
EB-5: Except for China, the EB-5 category remains current for all countries of chargeability.
- EB-5 China: The cutoff date advanced to May 15, 2015
- EB-5 India: Advanced to October 22, 2018
- EB-5 Vietnam: The cutoff date advanced to January 15, 2017
Family-based Categories:
F-2A Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents: USCIS has announced that F-2A applicants may use the Final Action Dates chart for March 2020. This category is “current” on the Final Action Date Chart for March 2020.
All other family-sponsored preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart for March 2020 provided below:
To learn more about how to read the visa bulletin please click here.