April 2019 Visa Bulletin: Movement as Expected

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the April 2019 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates referenced refer to the dates in the final action (FA) chart, unless otherwise specified.

Visa Bulletin Summary

Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category

The cutoff dates for India and China in the EB1 category remain unchanged for April, at February 22, 2017. The cutoff date advances to February 1, 2018, for all other countries of chargeability.

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2) Category

The EB2 category for China moves ahead by three months, to an April 1, 2016 cutoff date. Meanwhile, EB2 India only moves up by a few days, to April 12, 2009. All other countries of chargeability remain current.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Category

EB3 China advances to August 1, 2015, and EB3 India moves to June 22, 2009. Meanwhile, EB3 Philippines moves forward to March 1, 2018. All other countries of chargeability remain current.

EB3 Other Workers

With the exception of China, the cutoff dates for the EB3 category for other workers are the same for each country as their respective EB3 cutoff date. For China, the cutoff date for EB3 other workers is set at August 22, 2007.

Employment-Based, Fourth Preference (EB4) Category

In the EB4 category, Mexico moves to April 1, 2018. EB4 for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras moves to March 8, 2016. The category remains current for all other countries.

Employment-Based, Fifth Preference (EB5) Category

EB5 China moves to September 15, 2014. The EB5 Vietnam cutoff date moves ahead to August 22, 2016. The category remains current for all other countries.

General Updated Prediction

The April 2019 Visa Bulletin includes the following statement:

Final Action Date movement in many Family-sponsored and Employment-based preference categories continues to be greater than might ordinarily be expected, and this is anticipated to continue for at least the next few months. This is a direct result of fewer applicants proceeding to final action on their cases at consular posts abroad and USCIS Offices. Once large numbers of applicants begin to have their cases brought to final action, final action date movements will necessarily slow or stop. Moreover, in some categories, final action date retrogression is a possibility if demand levels are excessive. Therefore, readers should be aware that the recent rates of final action date advances will not continue indefinitely, but it is not possible to say at present when they will end.

Conclusion

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