May 2014 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 India and EB-3 ROW/China Remain Unchanged; FB-2A Remains Unchanged

The U.S. State Department has just released the May 2014 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the FY2014 fiscal year.   The major headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is, well, the lack of movement in many of the major categories:  no movement in EB-2 India, no movement in EB-3 ROW/China and no movement in FB-2A.

Summary of the May 2014 Visa Bulletin – Employment-Based (EB)

Below is a summary of the May 2014 Visa Bulletin with respect to the employment-based categories:

• EB-1 remains current across the board.
• EB-2 for ROW, Mexico and Philippines are all current.    EB-2 India remains unchanged (again!) at November 15, 2004 and is expected to remain at this level for some more time (but with possible forward movement later in the fiscal year).  EB-2 China moves forward by five (5) weeks to April 15, 2009.
• EB-3 ROW, China and Mexico remain unchanged at October 1, 2012.  EB-3 Philippines moves forward by three and a half (3.5) months to November 1, 2007, while EB-3 India  moves forward by only two (2) weeks to October 1, 2003.
• The “other worker” categories for ROW, China and Mexico remain unchanged at October 1, 2012.   Philippines moves forward by three and a half (3.5) months to November 1, 2007, while India  moves forward by only two (2) weeks to October 1, 2003

Summary of the May 2014 Visa Bulletin – Family-Based (FB)

Below is a summary of the May 2014 Visa Bulletin with respect to family-based categories:

• FB-1 ROW, China and India all move forward by two (2) weeks to March 8, 2007.   FB-1 Mexico moves forward by two (2) weeks to November 15, 1993 and FB-1 Philippines moves forward by three (3) months to February 1, 2002.
• FB-2A remains unchanged (again) for all ROW, China, India and Philippines at September 8, 2013.  It remains unchanged for Mexico at April 15, 2012.

EB-2 India and EB-3 ROW/China Remain Unchanged

Unfortunately, no news for EB-2 India means continued disappointment in the lack of movement in this category.   The reason for this lack of movement is the significant demand and pending cases at USCIS.   Last fall we reported on the expected retrogression in the EB India categories due to high demand and the December 2013 Visa Bulletin, together with the subsequent several Visa Bulletins, confirm our predictions.

The last few Visa Bulletins showed that our expectations were absolutely correct even though many of our EB India clients and readers were disappointed by this news.    Unfortunately, since EB-2 India remains severely retrogressed, we expect that there would be no forward movement for at least several months (perhaps until this summer).   The rationale behind this severe retrogression (in December 2013) and the lack of movement for the next several months in EB-2 India is that there is simply too much “demand” (number of pending cases caused by I-485 filings and EB-3 to EB-2 porting cases, plus adding dependents) in this category and the Visa Office has to “stop” the rate of new filings by moving back the cutoff date until USCIS and DOS are able to approve the pending cases and “clear” the demand.

EB-3 ROW/China remain unchanged this month after several nice forward movements over the past few months.  This is an indication that USCIS is seeing an increased (and perhaps sufficient) number of filings (I-485/NVC) in this category so that they have enough cases to distribute the annual number of green cards.    This slowdown in EB-3 ROW/China is likely to suggest that there would not be much significant forward movement, and perhaps that there may be a possible retrogression in these categories.

Perhaps a tiny glimmer of light in this, otherwise gloomy Visa Bulletin, is the presence of (a small) forward movement in EB-3 India.

EB-3 China Continues to be Ahead of EB-2 China, but EB-3 is Slowing Down

Over the past several months our office has handled many inquiries from Chinese nationals who are EB-2 applicants and who try to find out whether it makes sense to refile under EB-3 to take advantage of the unique situation where the cutoff date for EB-3 China (October 1, 2012) is more advanced than the date for EB-2 China (April 15, 2009).

What we saw in this month’s Visa Bulletin should give some pause to those who believe that they may be able to get a green card faster under EB-3 China than under EB-2 China.    In some cases,  an EB-2 China applicant can seek to “downgrade” their preference category, while retaining their priority date, in order to have a current priority date under the EB-3 category and to be able to file their I-485 application.   As a background, many EB-2 PERM Labor Certifications are drafted in a way allowing the subsequent filing of an EB-3 I-140 petition on the basis of the same PERM — thereby retaining the priority date under the EB-3 category.    While it is possible to use a PERM which has already expired if it has been used in support of a previous I-140, a new EB-3 I-140 filing may not be filed under premium processing.  Filing an I-140 under regular processing may take around four to five months and it is entirely possible that by the time an EB-3 I-140 is approved, the EB-3 China cutoff dates may retrogress.

We reiterate our caution to EB China applicants that the historic average for an EB-3 China priority date to become current and for a green card under this category to be approved is still significantly higher than the historic average wait time under EB-2.   As a result, and especially given the slowdown in EB-3 China, we believe that ultimately, an EB-2 China application would take less time to approve.

Our office is happy to consult applicants who are in this situation and are considering filing under EB-3 to take advantage of the more advanced EB-3 China cutoff dates.   Please contact us if we can help.

FB-2A Remains Unchanged

Another notable development (or lack thereof) is the fact that FB-2A cutoff date remains unchanged, after the introduction of a cutoff date in the October 2013 Visa Bulletin.   We expected the October 2013 FB-2A cutoff date to be introduced and the fact that it remains unchanged is not surprising since it appears that USCIS and the Department of State have seen increased number of filings in this category.

Current Priority Date?

Our office stands ready to assist in the applicable process to take advantage of a current (or close to current) priority date.   Those applicants whose priority dates are current as of the May 2014 Visa Bulletin may be eligible to process their (and their family members’) I-485 Adjustment of Status applications from within the U.S. or process their immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate abroad.   Please do not hesitate to contact us if our office can help you take advantage of this significant forward movement in the cutoff dates.    We are also happy to provide a free quote for preparing and filing your I-485 application.

Further Updates and News

We invite you to subscribe to our free weekly immigration newsletter to receive timely updates on this and related topics.  We also invite you to contact us if our office can be of any assistance in your immigration matters or you have any questions or comments about the May 2014 Visa Bulletin.  Finally, if you already haven’t, please consider our Visa Bulletin Predictions tool which provides personalized predictions and charts helping you understand when a particular priority date may become current and what are the movement patterns.