April 2020 Visa Bulletin Check-In

Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Following the release of the April 2020 Visa Bulletin, Mr. Oppenheim provides some updates in light of the unprecedented situation that has been created by the COVID-19 outbreak. All predictions refer to the dates in the final action (FA) chart, unless otherwise specified.

Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category

With the closure of U.S. consulates across the globe, and the cancellation of I-485 interviews by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), many visa numbers remain unused. Mr. Oppenheim predicts this likely will lead to some advancement in the employment-based, first preference (EB1) category. The cutoff dates for EB1 India and, to a lesser extent, EB1 China, lag behind all other countries of chargeability. Once the EB1 category becomes current for the other countries, this should benefit EB1 China.

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2) Category

EB2 remains current for all countries of chargeability except India and China. Mr. Oppenheim previously anticipated setting a cutoff date in the EB2 category for all countries by June 2020. With the problems created by the COVID-19 epidemic, however, this retrogression likely will not occur until the end of summer 2020, and may not be necessary at all this fiscal year.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Category

There has been heavy usage of the EB3 category this fiscal year. This likely means that there will not be much advancement in this category in the near future.

Conclusion

MurthyDotCom will continue to closely monitor and report on movement and predictions related to the monthly visa bulletin. Subscribe to the MurthyBulletin to receive future updates.

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