FY 2020 Visa Bulletin Trends and Visa Projections: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-5

In this post, we would like to keep our readers informed about Visa Bulletin projections for the coming months. Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division of the U.S. Department of State provides a monthly analysis of each month’s Visa Bulletin including discussion of current trends and future projections for immigrant preference categories. This post will focus on the EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 categories.

Below are the highlights of those trends and projections for the coming months.

Employment-Based Immigration: First Preference EB-1

In the upcoming fiscal year, it is not expected that the employment-based categories EB-4 and EB-5 will allow for extra unused green cards to become available for use in the EB-1 category for India and China. As such, the EB-1 category is not expected to become current into the foreseeable future.

EB-1 India and EB-1 China are expected to continue to have separate dates and will be subject to the annual minimum per country limit.

Charles Oppenheim expects that EB-1 India will not experience forward movement until January 2020. This category is also expected to remain backlogged for the coming years.

Employment-Based Immigration: Second Preference EB-2

Charles Oppenheim predicts that EB-2 India will continue to have limited forward movement for the foreseeable future.

Demand in this category is within the amount of available numbers to satisfy the needs for EB-2 Worldwide so it should remain current. If there are increasing levels of demand, a final action date for EB-2 Worldwide may be imposed during the second half of the fiscal year.

Employment-Based Immigration: Third Preference EB-3

Movement in this category is expected to vary since we do not yet have insight into future demand for this category. Oppenheim predicts that EB-3 India will have little to no forward movement until January 2020.

EB-3 China is experiencing less demand, but EB-2 downgrades can change forward movement for China during fiscal year 2020.

Demand in the EB-3 category is within the amount of available numbers to satisfy the needs for EB-3 Worldwide. If there are increasing levels of demand, a final action date for EB-3 Worldwide may be imposed during the second half of the fiscal year.

Immigrant Investor Program EB-5

EB-5 China, EB-5 India, and EB-5 Vietnam will continue to have final action dates in the foreseeable future and are not expected to return to current.

For more information about the visa bulletin please click here.

To read more about the employment based categories please click here.