October 2020 Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has finally released the October 2020 Visa Bulletin, which is the first visa bulletin of fiscal year 2021 (FY21). The visa bulletin also includes some encouraging predictions for coming months. All cutoff dates listed 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 both EB1 India and EB1 China advance to June 1, 2018. EB1 remains current for all other countries of chargeability.

In the dates for filing (DF) chart – commonly referred to as Chart B – both dates are set at September 1, 2020. The USCIS has not yet announced whether the DF chart may be used in October for purposes of applying for adjustment of status (form I-485).

Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2) Category

The EB2 category remains current for all countries of chargeability except India and China. EB2 India moves up to September 1, 2009, and enjoys a May 15, 2011 cutoff date on the DF chart. EB2 China advances to March 1, 2016, while its cutoff date on the DF chart is set at October 1, 2016.

Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Category

The cutoff date for EB3 India moves forward to January 15, 2010. Incredibly, it has a January 1, 2015 cutoff date on the DF chart! But, again, unless the USCIS allows for use of the DF chart in October, this will not provide a direct benefit to most Indian applicants.

EB3 China’s cutoff date is set at July 1, 2017, with a June 1, 2018 date on the DF chart. EB3 is current for all other countries of chargeability.

EB3 Other Workers

With the exception of China, the cutoff dates for EB3 other workers are the same for each country as its respective EB3 cutoff dates. For China, the cutoff date for EB3 other workers progresses to December 1, 2008.

Employment-Based, Fourth Preference (EB4) Category

The cutoff date for EB4 Mexico moves forward to September 1, 2018. Meanwhile, the cutoff date for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras moves to August 1, 2017. This category remains current for all other countries of chargeability.

Employment-Based, Fifth Preference (EB5) Category

The cutoff date for EB5 China remains at August 15, 2015. EB5 Vietnam also remains unchanged, at August 1, 2017. EB5 remains current for all other countries of chargeability.

Predictions

As explained in the visa bulletin, all cutoff dates “…have been advanced at a very rapid pace, in anticipation of the [FY21] annual limit being approximately 261,500, an all-time high.” Further, the DOS expects that the cutoff dates for China and India in the EB1, EB2, and EB3 categories will continue to experience “rapid forward movement” for the next three months.

Conclusion

MurthyDotCom will continue to closely monitor and report on movement and predictions related to the monthly visa. Subscribe to the free MurthyBulletin to receive weekly updates on this and other immigration matters in your inbox.

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