In spite of the recent developments in the world of US immigration, the August 2020 visa bulletin brings in a lot of good news for the employment based categories of green card applicants. This visa bulletin has brought in a significant amount of forward movement, especially in the EB-1 and EB-3 categories.
July’s visa bulletin had also seen a positive movement for the EB categories. But not as significant as August. The cutoff dates for issuance of the immigrant visas is most prominent for EB-1 where India advanced by 9 months and settled onto February 8, 2018 while China advanced by 6 months and arrived at the same date. Rest of the countries are already current.
EB-3 saw a major jump for everyone – China up by a year, India up by 4 months and all other countries up by almost a year. The lower demand for EB-3 has pushed it ahead on the curve compared to EB-2. This was anticipated in the past and hopefully, will continue this trend.
For those that had downgraded to EB-3 from EB-2, this is a good phase.
| Category | India | China | ROW |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Feb 8, 2018 | Feb 8, 2018 | Current |
| EB-2 | Jul 8, 2009 | Jan 15, 2016 | Current |
| EB-3 | Oct 1, 2009 | Feb 15, 2017 | Apr 1, 2019 |
| EB-5 | Current | Aug 8, 2015 | Current |
Final Action Dates
It is important to be reminded that due to the President’s Executive Order which was recently extended to December 31, 2020, no new immigrant visas are being issued to applicants in US Consulates abroad.
Similarly, the Dates for Filing in August 2020 has seen some advancement as well. EB-1 India moved up by 11 months and China by 8 months. Dates of Filling for EB-3 all countries except India and China have gone up to a year ahead.
| Category | India | China | ROW |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Jul 1, 2018 | Jul 1, 2018 | Current |
| EB-2 | Aug 15, 2009 | Aug 1, 2016 | Current |
| EB-3 | Feb 1, 2010 | May 1, 2017 | Apr 1, 2020 |
| EB-5 | Current | Dec 15, 2015 | Current |
Dates For Filing
With so many applicants positively impacted by this significant forward movement, many should anticipate to do the next step which includes medicals for some while some have to get their biometrics done. You should expect a notification from USCIS which will be sent to your legal immigration counsel.
For Next Steps: Discuss August 2020 Visa Bulletin Here
