EB2 India Expected to Move to Dec 1, 2010 in June 2021 Visa Bulletin

Charles Oppenheim, the Chief of the Immigrant Visa Control Unit of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) spoke this evening (Wednesday, May 12, 2021) at  the annual year-end Washington D.C. Chapter meeting of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). As many of you may know, attorneys of the Murthy Law Firm regularly attend AILA meetings to share the latest information from senior officials of various federal agencies administering U.S. immigration laws. As the unit primarily responsible at the DOS for the movement of worldwide priority dates, Mr. Oppenheim shared updates and predictions before the release of the June 2021 DOS Visa Bulletin expected to be released in the near future.

EB2 Expected to Move During FY2021 and FY2022

Mr. Oppenheim pointed out that, with about 262,000 immigrant visa numbers that need to be used before the end of the USCIS 2021 fiscal year of September 30, 2021 (and an additional 275,000 immigrant visas available for the next 2022 fiscal year), we should expect forward movement for both India and China in the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category, starting from June 2021 onward.

EB2 India and EB2 China Dates for June 2021

Mr. Oppenheim mentioned that the June 2021 Visa Bulletin is expected to show that EB2 India will move substantially to December 1, 2010, and EB2 China is expected to move through May 1, 2017. This is good news for those eagerly waiting for the final action dates to move so that their previously filed Adjustment of Status applications (I-485s) could get approved. For those waiting to file their I-485s, if your priority date is before the cut-off date as released by the DOS in the June 2021 Visa Bulletin, you should prepare your paperwork and gather all the documents to file for adjustment of status.

Incidental Benefits of Filing the I-485

Filing the I-485 makes a person eligible to also apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) and advance parole (AP). Having an AP document can be especially helpful during the ongoing pandemic, as it can be difficult to obtain a visa appointment at a consulate.

Copyright © 2021, MURTHY LAW FIRM. All Rights Reserved