Business Immigration Insights

The Visa Bulletin is released monthly by the Department of State and is used to determine when a sponsored foreign national can submit the final step of the green card process, or if already pending, when the final step can be adjudicated.

Below is a summary of the April Visa Bulletin, including Final Action Dates and changes from the previous month.

China:  EB-1 and EB-2 remain frozen at February 1, 2022, and June 8, 2019, respectively.  EB-3 and EB-3 Other Workers both advance 3 months, the former to November 1, 2018; the latter to October 1, 2014.

India:  No movement, except backward:  EB-1 stalls at February 1, 2022; EB-2 retrogresses more than 9 months to January 1, 2011; EB-3 and EB-3 Other Workers hold at June 15, 2012.

All Other Countries:  No movement, except backward:  EB-1 and EB-3 remain current; EB-2 retrogresses 4 months to July 1, 2022; EB-3 Other Workers holds at January 1, 2020.

NOTE 1: U.S. immigration agencies continue to experience higher than expected demand in the EB-2 preference category.  To keep number use within the Fiscal Year 2023 annual limits, the State Department has retrogressed EB-2 final action dates for all geographic areas except China, which has not advanced since October 2022.

NOTE 2: USCIS has not yet announced if it will accept I-485 applications in April based on the Department of State’s slightly more favorable Dates for Filing chart.