Visa bulletin Archives

On October 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued the November Visa Bulletin. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that it will use the “Dates for Filing” chart. For employment-based visa categories, the “Dates for Filing” chart is the same as last month, except for modest advancement in the EB-3 China “other workers” category. Foreign nationals who are eligible to file their employment-based visa applications in October can file their applications in November.

The November “Final Action Dates” chart shows slight forward movement in employment-based visa categories. Notably, EB-1 India and China categories will advance by six months.

For more information on this topic, please see our earlier legal update on the October Visa Bulletin.

On September 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued the highly anticipated October Visa Bulletin. October 1, 2020, marks the beginning of the U.S. government’s new fiscal year. Each year, there is a fixed number of immigrant visas available for employment-based and family-based categories. When the new fiscal year starts on October 1, a new supply of immigrant visas becomes available. Any unused family-based numbers from the prior fiscal year can be added to the employment-based visa allocations (and vice versa). This past year, family-based numbers were exceptionally low. The pandemic constrained consular operations and Presidential Proclamation 10014 suspended the issuance of immigrant visas, with limited exceptions. The DOS announced that it anticipates the FY 2021 employment-based visa numbers will hit an all-time high of 261,500.

For the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.

Tag: Visa bulletin

November 2020 Visa Bulletin Update: USCIS Will Continue Using ‘Dates for Filing’ Chart

Employment-Based Immigration Updates: The October Visa Bulletin and Public Charge Rule