The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the May 2015 Visa Bulletin. The cutoff date for the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India advances yet again, to April 15, 2008. Meanwhile, the cutoff date for the employment-based, third preference (EB3) category for the Philippines retrogresses severely to July 1, 2007.

Employment-Based, First, Fourth, and Fifth Preferences (EB1, EB4, and EB5)

The EB1 and EB4 categories remain current for all countries of chargeability, as does the EB5 category, with the exception of EB5 China. Heavy demand for EB5 China has led to the implementation of a May 1, 2013 cutoff date in this category. The need for setting a cutoff date for EB5 China has long been anticipated.

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2)

As is usually the case, the EB2 category is current for all countries, except for India and China. EB2 India advances for the fourth consecutive month. The new cutoff date in this backlogged category, effective May 1 2015, is April 15, 2008. EB2 for China experiences even greater advancement, with forward movement in excess of a year, to a cutoff date of June 1, 2012.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3)

The EB3 worldwide category remains very favorable, with several months’ advancement to January 1, 2015. EB3 Mexico shares this same cutoff date. The Philippines, which had advanced rapidly in recent months, retrogresses by more than seven years, to a cutoff date of July 1, 2007. EB3 India advances by just a week, yet again, to January 15, 2004. The cutoff date for EB3 China moves forward by several months, to May 1, 2011.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Other Workers

As has been the case in the recent past, other than China, the EB3 other worker cutoff dates match those in the general EB3 category. The EB3 China other worker cutoff date advances to November 15, 2005.

Conclusion

The advancement in the EB2 India category is in line with previous predictions. There were no further predictions provided for this category. However, as explained earlier, this advancement ties in to the efforts to exhaust all visa numbers by the end of fiscal year 2015 (i.e. September 30, 2015). The dramatic retrogression for EB3 Philippines is the result of demand materializing following rapid advancement of the cutoff dates. The EB5 China category is in flux, making it impossible for the DOS to issue predictions of movement for the coming months. However, the DOS notes it is “extremely likely” that a cutoff date will continue to apply in this category for the foreseeable future. MurthyDotCom will continue to track and report on visa bulletin developments and predictions as information becomes available.

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