The November 2020 visa bulletin has been delayed by more than a couple of weeks but when it finally came, everyone breathed a sigh of relief on seeing the forward movement for most final action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa. Both India and China have seen advancements in most employment-based categories.
Final Action Cut-off Dates
- EB-1: India and China advance to December 1, 2018
- EB-2: India advances to September 22, 2009 and China to April 22, 2016
- EB-3: India went up to March 1, 2020 while China to October 1, 2017
- EB-5: India is current while China remained at August 15, 2015
These dates have continued October’s trend to show significant advancements in priority dates. EB-1 is the most noteworthy with a 6-month forward movement followed by EB-3 which had a 4-month forward movement for China and a 1.5 advancement for India.
Revisit: October 2020 Visa Bulletin
Dates For Filing Chart
USCIS continues to apply the DOS’s Dates for Filing chart for adjustment of status filings in November. This is similar to what was done during October’s visa bulletin. It will be notable to observe if this is going to be a new trend for FY 2021.
Timelines: I-485, Adjustment of Status
In order to be eligible to file an employment-based adjustment petition in November, the applicant must have a priority date which is earlier than the date listed below.
A side-by-side comparison between the dates for filing in October & November show that there hasn’t been any change in the next month’s visa bulletin.
| Employment-Based Category | October-India | Novembr-India | October-China | November-China |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Sept 1, 2020 | Sept 1, 2020 | Sept 1, 2020 | Sept 1, 2020 |
| EB-2 | May 15, 2011 | May 15, 2011 | Oct 1, 2016 | Oct 1, 2016 |
| EB-3 | Jan 1, 2015 | Jan 1, 2015 | Jun 1, 2018 | Jun 1, 2018 |
| EB-5 | Current | Current | Dec 15, 2015 | Dec 15, 2015 |
However, it is important to note that last month’s visa bulletin had shown a huge jump in these dates. This is particularly beneficial for the petitioners from India and China who were otherwise waiting in the backlog queue for over 5-10 years; now the adjustment of status will move a lot faster for them.
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