The State department has just released the Visa Bulletin for the month of April 2019 and the EB-3 subcategory for professionals and skilled workers have taken the lead this time, in all advancements. India tops by moving up a month to June 22, 2009 while China goes up by three weeks to August 1, 2015 and all other countries remain current. There has either been a marginal move up or nothing at all when it comes to EB-1 and EB-2 respectively.

The following are dates when immigrant visa applicants should assemble and submit required documentation for I-485 to the National Visa Center:.

What does that mean for the coming months? Based on our tentative predictions this trend for employment based categories will continue in the coming months. While some think that the oncoming H1-B filing season in April may tilt the balance towards retrogression, we think otherwise. This upward trend for employment-based categories will continue for the next few months. Having said that, the retrogression of cut-off dates for some other categories may get affected depending upon how many visas are requested in the coming months. This unpredictability could either result in a mere slowdown or a complete retrogression.

EB-3 Filers: Follow this thread to see how much movement others are predicting for 2019 in Trackitt

To keep up with these dates and be termed current, make sure your priority date is before the date on the visa bulletin. Does this trend nudge you to port your applications to the EB-3 sub-category? You know it will not affect your priority dates. So, what are your options? Consult your immigration lawyer and talk to one today at Lawbench.