June 2014 Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the June 2014 Visa Bulletin. As predicted, the family-based, second preference “A” (FB2A) category retrogresses for all countries of chargeability, as has the employment-based, third preference (EB3) category for all countries, save India. EB3 China was hit especially hard, retrogressing by a full six years.

Family-Based, First Preference (FB1)

The FB1 category is for unmarried children, aged 21 and over, of U.S. citizens. FB1 Mexico moves forward by one month, to December 15, 1993. FB1 Philippines moves ahead by four months, to June 1, 2002. All remaining countries under this category take a small step forward to March 22, 2007.

Family-Based Second Preference “A”

The FB2A category for spouses and (unmarried, minor) children of lawful permanent residents (LPRs or “green card” holders) retrogresses to March 15, 2011 for beneficiaries born in Mexico. FB2A for all other countries moves backwards by more than a year, to May 1, 2012. The DOS also notes that “[f]urther retrogression cannot be ruled out should demand by applicants with very early priority dates continue to increase.”

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2)

The EB2 category stays current for all countries, except for India and China. For the 7th month in a row, EB2 India stays stagnant at November 15, 2004. EB2 China moves forward by five weeks to May 22, 2009.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3)

EB3 Philippines moves ahead by two months, to January 1, 2008, while EB3 India inches forward by a couple of weeks, to October 15, 2003. All other countries of chargeability face retrogression. EB3 Mexico and EB3 worldwide, or rest of the world (ROW), roll back by more than a year, to April 1, 2011. EB3 China, which, for nearly a year, had experienced the unusual situation of having a more favorable priority date than EB2 China, is now propelled backwards to October 1, 2006.

Other Workers Category

For the most part, the cutoff dates in the EB3 other workers category match the general EB3 cutoff dates. The one exception is China, which retrogresses in this category all the way back to January 1, 2003.

Conclusion

September 30, 2014 is the last month of FY15, and dramatic changes in priority dates are to be expected as this date approaches. Yet, these changes are in line with the predictions made by the DOS in recent months. MurthyDotCom will continue to provide updates and analysis as information becomes available.

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