July 2012 Visa Bulletin: Cutoff Date for EB2 Worldwide, Mexico, & Philippines

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued the July 2012 Visa Bulletin. This visa bulletin contains a cutoff date in the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for all chargeability areas except those listed (worldwide, or the rest of the world), as well as for Mexico and the Philippines. This is highly unusual and has not occurred in many years. The cutoff dates in the EB categories for July 2012, as well as some predictions for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2012 are summarized here for the benefit of MurthyDotCom readers.

Summary of Visa Bulletin

Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1)

This category remains current for all countries of chargeability.

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2)

This category remains unavailable for India and China. It will continue to be unavailable for India and China throughout the remainder of FY12 due to a depletion of the visa numbers. A new cutoff date is anticipated for India and China in the October 2012 Visa Bulletin, as that is the start of FY13. The category of all chargeability areas except those listed, Mexico, and the Philippines has a cutoff date of January 1, 2009. The establishment of this cutoff date is an unusual development. As explained below, for almost 20 years the EB2 category has been current for all countries of chargeability, with the exception of India and China.

The DOS WebSite carries historical data on visa bulletin cutoff dates going back to 1992. September 2007 has been the only month in which a cutoff date existed for all chargeability areas except those listed and for Mexico since October 1992. The Philippines have been current since December 1993, with the exception of August and September 2007.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3)

The backlogged EB3 category experienced slight forward movement. The cutoff date for the category of all chargeability areas except those listed, as well as for Mexico, advances by more than a month, to July 22, 2006. The cutoff date for the Philippines moves by a few weeks, to June 8, 2006. China progresses to a cutoff date of September 22, 2005. India continues to lag far behind, with a one-week advancement to September 22, 2002.

Other Workers’ Category

The EB3 other workers’ category progresses by approximately six weeks, to July 22, 2006, for the category of all chargeability areas except those listed and for Mexico. The cutoff date for the Philippines moves to June 8, 2006. China’s cutoff date moves forward to June 15, 2003. India’s cutoff date advances by a week to September 22, 2002.

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

These categories remain current for all countries of chargeability.

Predictions

The July 2012 Visa Bulletin contains predictions for the rest of FY12. As mentioned, EB2 India and China will remain unavailable throughout the remainder of FY12. The establishment of an EB2 cutoff date for all countries reflects unusually high demand for visa numbers in that category. The visa bulletin indicates that it may be necessary to make this category unavailable prior to the end of FY12, if the demand for these visa numbers increases. Readers will be updated with any new visa bulletin developments or predictions. Check MurthyDotCom regularly for the most current information.

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