*Employment Third Preference Other Workers Category: Section 203(e) of the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997, as amended by Section 1(e) of Pub. L. 105-139, provides that once the Employment Third Preference Other Worker (EW) cut-off date has reached the priority date of the latest EW petition approved prior to November 19, 1997, the 10,000 EW numbers available for a fiscal year are to be reduced by up to 5,000 annually beginning in the following fiscal year. This reduction is to be made for as long as necessary to offset adjustments under the NACARA program. Since the EW cut-off date reached November 19, 1997 during Fiscal Year 2001, the reduction in the EW annual limit to 5,000 began in Fiscal Year 2002.
B. DATES FOR FILING OF EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA APPLICATIONS
The chart below reflects dates for filing visa applications within a timeframe justifying immediate action in the application process. Applicants for immigrant visas who have a priority date earlier than the application date in the chart may assemble and submit required documents to the Department of State’s National Visa Center, following receipt of notification from the National Visa Center containing detailed instructions. The application date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who cannot submit documentation to the National Visa Center for an immigrant visa. If a category is designated “current,” all applicants in the relevant category may file, regardless of priority date.
The “C” listing indicates that the category is current, and that applications may be filed regardless of the applicant’s priority date. The listing of a date for any category indicates that only applicants with a priority date which is earlier than the listed date may file their application.
Visit www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo for information on whether USCIS has determined that this chart can be used (in lieu of the chart in paragraph 5.A.) this month for filing applications for adjustment of status with USCIS.
Employment-
based |
All Chargeability
Areas Except
Those Listed |
CHINA-
mainland
born |
EL SALVADOR
GUATEMALA
HONDURAS |
INDIA |
MEXICO |
PHILIPPINES |
1st |
01SEP18 |
01OCT17 |
01SEP18 |
01OCT17 |
01SEP18 |
01SEP18 |
2nd |
C |
01FEB17 |
C |
01JUN09 |
C |
C |
3rd |
C |
01JUN16 |
C |
01APR10 |
C |
C |
Other Workers |
C |
01JUN08 |
C |
01APR10 |
C |
C |
4th |
C |
C |
01SEP16 |
C |
C |
C |
Certain Religious Workers |
C |
C |
01SEP16 |
C |
C |
C |
5th Non-Regional Center
(C5 and T5) |
C |
01NOV14 |
C |
C |
C |
C |
5th Regional Center
(I5 and R5) |
C |
01NOV14 |
C |
C |
C |
C |
6. The Department of State has a recorded message with the Final Action date information which can be heard at: (202) 485-7699. This recording is updated on or about the tenth of each month with information on final action dates for the following month.
B. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY FOR THE MONTH OF JULY
Section 203(c) of the INA provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to permit additional immigration opportunities for persons from countries with low admissions during the previous five years. The NACARA stipulates that beginning with DV-99, and for as long as necessary, up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NACARA program. This resulted in reduction of the DV-2019 annual limit to 50,000. DV visas are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.
For July, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2019 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:
Region |
All DV Chargeability Areas Except
Those Listed Separately |
|
---|
AFRICA |
CURRENT |
Except: Egypt 23,400 |
ASIA |
CURRENT |
Except: Nepal 6,275
|
EUROPE |
CURRENT |
|
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) |
CURRENT |
|
OCEANIA |
CURRENT |
|
SOUTH AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN |
CURRENT |
|
Entitlement to immigrant status in the DV category lasts only through the end of the fiscal (visa) year for which the applicant is selected in the lottery. The year of entitlement for all applicants registered for the DV-2019 program ends as of September 30, 2019. DV visas may not be issued to DV-2019 applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2019 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2019. DV visa availability through the very end of FY-2019 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted prior to September 30.
C. THE DIVERSITY (DV) IMMIGRANT CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN AUGUST
For August, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2019 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:
Region |
All DV Chargeability Areas Except
Those Listed Separately |
|
---|
AFRICA |
CURRENT |
|
ASIA |
CURRENT |
|
EUROPE |
CURRENT |
|
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) |
CURRENT |
|
OCEANIA |
CURRENT |
|
SOUTH AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN |
CURRENT |
|
D. FAMILY-SPONSORED SECOND PREFERENCE VISA AVAILABILITY
F2A: This category has become "Current" for July, and is expected to remain so through September. This action has been taken in an effort to generate an increased level of demand. Despite the large amount of registered F2A demand, currently there are not enough applicants who are actively pursuing final action on their case to fully utilize all of the available numbers under the annual limit.
Once large numbers of F2A applicants do begin to have their cases brought to final action, it will be necessary to establish a date in an effort to control number use within the annual limit. Therefore, readers should be aware that this “Current” status will not continue indefinitely, but it is not possible to say at present how soon corrective action will be required.
E. MEXICO FAMILY-SPONSORED and EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCE VISA AVAILABILITY
As the end of the fiscal year approaches, it has been necessary to retrogress the Mexico F1, F3, F4, E4, and SR final action dates for July to keep issuances within the annual numerical limits. With the start of the new fiscal year in October, the final action dates will be returned to the latest dates established during FY-2019.
F. EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIFTH PREFERENCE VISA AVAILABILITY
As readers were advised might happen in item E of the June Visa Bulletin, India and Vietnam will each reach their per-country annual limit during July. This has resulted in the Vietnam date being held, and has required the imposition of a July final action date for India.
For August, both countries will become subject to the same final action date which applies to China-mainland born Employment Fifth preference (E5) applicants, and they will be for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Such action will only be temporary, with the E5 date for each advancing for October, the first month of fiscal year 2020, as follows:
India: Most likely advancing to the summer or fall of 2017.
Vietnam: Most likely advancing to the fall or early winter of 2016.
G. VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE COMING MONTHS
FAMILY-sponsored categories (potential monthly movement)
Worldwide dates:
F1: Up to five weeks
F2A: CURRENT
F2B: Up to six weeks
F3: Up to six weeks
F4: Up to one month
EMPLOYMENT-based categories (potential monthly movement)
Employment First:
WORLDWIDE: Little if any forward movement. Increased demand may require temporary corrective action for September
China: Little if any forward movement
India: No forward movement. The date will return to February 22, 2017 for October
Employment Second:
Worldwide: Expected to remain Current, but temporary corrective action may be required for September
China: Up to four months
India: Up to one week
Employment Third:
Worldwide: Expected to remain Current, but temporary corrective action may be required for September
China: Up to several months
India: Little if any forward movement
Mexico: Will remain at the Worldwide date
Philippines: Will remain at the Worldwide date
Employment Fourth: Current for most countries
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico: Little if any movement through September.
Employment Fifth: The category will remain “Current” for most countries
China: Too early to predict whether it will be possible to advance the China date prior to October.
India and Vietnam will be subject to the same date as China during August and September.
The above final action date projections for the Family and Employment categories indicate what is likely to happen on a monthly basis through September. The determination of the actual monthly final action dates is subject to fluctuations in applicant demand and a number of other variables.
H. OBTAINING THE MONTHLY VISA BULLETIN
To be placed on the Department of State’s E-mail subscription list for the “Visa Bulletin”, please send an E-mail to the following E-mail address:
listserv@calist.state.gov
and in the message body type:
Subscribe Visa-Bulletin
(example: Subscribe Visa-Bulletin)
To be removed from the Department of State’s E-mail subscription list for the “Visa Bulletin”, send an e-mail message to the following E-mail address:
listserv@calist.state.gov
and in the message body type: Signoff Visa-Bulletin
The Department of State also has available a recorded message with visa final action dates which can be heard at: (202) 485-7699. The recording is normally updated on/about the 10th of each month with information on final action dates for the following month.
Readers may submit questions regarding Visa Bulletin related items by E-mail at the following address:
VISABULLETIN@STATE.GOV
(This address cannot be used to subscribe to the Visa Bulletin.)
Department of State Publication 9514
CA/VO: June 6, 2019