Visa Bulletin Projections – October 2012

Aware of the mounting anxiety among many of our readers, the Murthy Law Firm recently contacted the U.S. Department of State (DOS) seeking information regarding projections for cutoff dates under the October 2012 Visa Bulletin. The DOS advised that the October Visa Bulletin, which begins fiscal year 2013 (FY13) for the U.S. federal government, should be released on or about September 10, 2012. This will end speculation about the cutoff dates applicable in October 2012.

The DOS expects to include some projections for cutoff dates during FY13 in the October Visa Bulletin. Projections are always based on estimates of demand for visa numbers, and the available supply of immigrant visa numbers. Laws limiting the number of foreign nationals allowed to immigrate permanently to the United States each year control the supply and allocation of visa numbers.

EB2 India and China Cutoff Date Expectations

In July 2012, the DOS projected the cutoff date for EB2 India and China expected in the October 2012 Visa Bulletin. The projected cutoff date at that time was August or September 2007. Mr. Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Immigrant Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State recently communicated with the Murthy Law Firm and indicated that even the projected August or September 2007 cutoff date may be optimistic. That date range is a best-case scenario, and there could be an even earlier cutoff date, depending upon the high demand for EB2 immigrant visa numbers.

Conclusion

The Murthy Law Firm appreciates the information provided by Mr. Oppenheim at the DOS, as it is important to our clients and to MurthyDotCom readers. We will report new information on the visa bulletin as it becomes available.

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