Business Immigration Insights

If Punxsutawney Phil checks the Visa Bulletin on Groundhog Day next month, he’s likely to scurry back into his hole from sheer boredom.

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 February Visa Bulletin, including Final Action Dates and changes (or not) from the previous month. 

China:  No change from prior month: EB-1 remains at February 1, 2022; EB-2 at June 8, 2019; EB-3 at August 1, 2018; and EB-3 Other Workers at December 22, 2013.

India:  No change from prior month: EB-1 holds at February 1, 2022; EB-2 at October 8, 2011; EB-3 at June 15, 2012; and EB-3 Other Workers at June 15, 2012.

All Other Countries:  No change from prior month, except EB-3 Other Workers, which retrogresses 5 months to June 1, 2020. EB-1 and EB-3 remain current; EB-2 stalls at November 1, 2022.

NOTE 1: The Visa Bulletin attributes the setback in the EB-3 Other Workers preference category to higher-than-expected number use in that category, especially among applicants with earlier priority dates. The State Department says it will continue to monitor the situation and make “any necessary adjustments.”

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