Visa Update Alert: How the Latest USCIS Changes Affect You

As per the March Visa Bulletin from the State Department, the Final Action cutoff dates for immigrant visa issuance or adjustment of status approval are as follows:

• In the EB-1 category, India will progress by one month to October 1, 2020, while China will advance by two weeks to July 15, 2022. All other countries will stay current.
• In the EB-2 category, India will stay on March 1, 2012, and China on January 1, 2020. Other countries will move ahead by one week to November 22, 2022.
• For EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers, China will stay on September 1, 2020, and India on July 1, 2012. Other countries will progress by one week to September 8, 2022.
• In the EB-5 category, for Unreserved categories (C5, T5, I5, and R5), China will stay on December 15, 2015, and India on December 1, 2020. All other countries will remain current. The EB-5 set-aside categories (Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure) will remain current.

USCIS has declared on its Visa Bulletin webpage that it will consider employment-based adjustment of status applications in March based on the Final Action Dates chart. To qualify for filing such an application in March, foreign nationals must possess a priority date preceding the listed date for their preference category and country. This marks the first instance in the fiscal year where USCIS has opted for the Final Action Dates chart. The March Visa Bulletin brings modest updates in immigrant visa issuance or adjustment of status approval dates, with notable, albeit slight, progress for India and China in certain categories, while most other countries remain largely unaffected. This pivotal update, marking USCIS’s decision to use the Final Action Dates chart for March, emphasizes the need for applicants to stay informed and strategically plan their immigration journey, particularly those from countries facing slower movements.