Little Relief for Indians in March 2016 Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the March 2016 Visa Bulletin this afternoon. In the final action (FA) chart, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India moves forward by ten weeks, to October 15, 2008. EB2 China moves up by five months, to August 1, 2012. In the employment-based, third preference (EB3) category, India’s cutoff date advances by one month, to July 15, 2004. EB3 China fares much better, with a new cutoff date of June 1, 2013. However, the EB3 China other workers category continues to lag far behind, at February 1, 2007.

Unfortunately, there is no movement in the employment-based categories for India in the dates for filing (DF) chart. But, for EB2 China, the DF date moves ahead by five months, to June 1, 2013. The cutoff date in the DF chart for EB3 China is even more favorable, advancing to May 1, 2015. The DF cutoff date for EB3 China other workers moves to August 1, 2007.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not yet indicated whether the DF chart cutoff dates may be used as a basis for filing an application for adjustment of status. MurthyDotCom will provide a more detailed overview of the March 2016 Visa Bulletin in the near future.

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