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.

Below is a summary of the December 2016 Visa Bulletin, including Final Action Dates and changes from the previous month:

• China continues to move forward at a slow pace, and the EB-3 cut-off date (July 1, 2013) remains ahead of the EB-2 date (September 22, 2012)
• India EB-2 jumps ahead three months to February 1, 2008, while EB-3 only advances one week to March 15, 2005
• Philippines EB-3 advances two months to June 1, 2011
• Worldwide EB-3 remains stalled at July 1, 2016.

On September 10, 2009, the U.S. Department of State released the October 2009 Visa Bulletin.  As anticipated, the news is not good.  Waiting lists for Indian and Chinese nationals whose U.S. employers have sponsored them for positions that require advanced degrees are backed up to early 2005.  For positions that require at least a bachelor's degree, wait lists stand at early 2002 for all nationalities except Indians (mid-2001).  Family-based categories are also painfully oversubscribed.  Depending on their nationalities, spouses and children of U.S. permanent residents must wait 4 ...