March 2009 Visa Bulletin – Not Much Movement

The March 2009 Visa Bulletin has been released.  Unfortunately, even though there is some forward movement in some EB categories, the progress is very small.  Many important categories have not moved forward at all this month.

• EB-1 remains current across the board.
• EB-2 China moves forward by 45 days to February 15, 2005.  EB-2 India moves forward by 45 days to February 15, 2004.
• EB-3 applicants, however, will be disappointed.  There is no movement in most of the categories.  EB-3 India remains unchanged at October 15, 2001.  EB-3 ROW (Rest of World) remains unchanged at May 1, 2005.  EB-3 China moves forward slightly by 22 days to October 22, 2002.  Finally, EB-3 Mexico moves forward significantly by 17 months to March 15, 2003.

March’s Visa Bulletin continues to improve the EB-2 category and make it a very attractive option for many applicants.  Although this month’s EB-2 progress of 45 days is significantly less than the 6-month forward movement observed in last month’s visa bulletin, it seems that USCIS is making efforts to improve the efficiency of the EB-2 category.

In light of these visa numbers, it becomes increasingly important to be able to file under the EB-2 category and avoid the very lengthy delays of the EB-3 category.  Please contact our office and we would be happy to evaluate your case and advise on the possibility of using the EB-2 category.