August 2019 Visa Bulletin: Significant Retrogression in Multiple Categories

The August 2019 Visa Bulletin has been released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). There are some notable retrogressions in employment-based (EB) categories, with EB3 India moving to January 1, 2006 and EB2 and EB3 all other countries retrogressing to January 1, 2017 and July 1, 2016, respectively. The F2A category remains current for all countries of chargeability.

Visa Bulletin Summary

All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action (FA) chart, unless otherwise specified.

Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category

Cutoff dates for all countries of chargeability except for India have retrogressed to July 1, 2016. EB1 India remains oversubscribed at a January 1, 2015 cutoff date, but should return to at least a February 22, 2017 cutoff date at the start of fiscal year 2020 (FY2020), which begins October 1, 2019.

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2) Category

EB2 for all other countries, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam retrogresses to January 1, 2017. China moves forward to January 1, 2017. EB2 India inches forward to May 2, 2009.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Category

Most notably, EB3 India retrogresses to January 1, 2006. All other countries listed in the Visa Bulletin have a cutoff date of July 1, 2016. This is a retrogression for all countries except China, which moves forward.

EB3 Other Workers

Most notably, EB3 India Other Workers retrogresses to January 1, 2006. The EB3 Other Workers category for all other countries, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam retrogresses to July 1, 2016. China remains the same at November 22, 2007.

Employment-Based, Fourth Preference (EB4) Category

The EB4 category remains the same as July 2019 for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with the rest of the countries remaining current.

Employment-Based, Fifth Preference (EB5) Category

As expected, EB5 for India and for Vietnam retrogress further, to October 15, 2014. EB5 China inches forward to the same cutoff date, October 15, 2014. All other countries remain current.

At the start of FY2020, the cutoff date for EB5 India should move back to a summer or fall 2017 cutoff date. EB5 Vietnam should move to a fall or early winter 2016 cutoff date in October 2019.

Conclusion

The Visa Bulletin indicates that every effort will be made to return the Final Action dates to the same as those in the July Visa Bulletin at the start of the next fiscal year, in October 2019. As soon as any additional updates or predictions are provided, the information will be posted on MurthyDotCom. Subscribe to the free MurthyBulletin to have future updates delivered to your inbox.

 

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Disclaimer: The information provided here is of a general nature and may not apply to any specific or particular circumstance. It is not to be construed as legal advice nor presumed indefinitely up to date.