US visa bulletin update for September 2023
US visa bulletin update for September 2023
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Each month, the United States Department of State (DOS) and the Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) define who can and cannot receive an immigrant visa. To inform the interested public of this, they use what is known as a visa bulletin.
It is well known that the number of Green Cards that can be issued annually is limited. In fact, it will depend on the immigrant’s place of origin. That is why the visa bulletin varies monthly.
If you have made a family or employment petition, the visa bulletin will inform you if you have been selected. Recently, the one corresponding to September 2023 was released, so it is convenient to review some terms a little and highlight the news.
What can we find in the visa bulletin?
In a previous opportunity, we explained the visa bulletin and related terms in detail so you can access the previous content to refresh the subject. It is a bulletin issued monthly by the United States government to indicate the availability and approval dates of visas requested by foreigners.
The approval of the visa will depend on the date on which it was requested. Once the petition is approved, the applicant will be placed on a waiting list, defined as a “priority date.” This date determines the applicant’s position on the waiting list and indicates whether or not they can claim their Green Card.
The visa bulletin gathers three essential elements. The first includes applications made based on family ties or for employment, generally processed under the I-130 or I-485 applications. The second gathers the requests that are under review. The third, one of the most prominent, is the best estimate time for a visa, according to the waiting times indicated for the month in question.
The USCIS has indicated that family petitions should be guided by the “Filing Dates” available on the DOS web portal. Applicants under the employment category must do so under the “Final Action Dates,” also uploaded on the state website.
How do I understand the visa bulletin?
To understand the visa bulletin, it is important to consider that some countries are more demanding than others. We can use Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines. That is why the waiting time to obtain a Green Card is much longer for these compared to other regions. The recent report shows a lag for India in particular.
To understand the visa bulletin, we must first consider the categories in which visa applications are grouped: family and employment. Once the corresponding category has been identified, the following will be to locate the country or region of origin, the previous deadline date, the new deadline date, and the changes registered in the waiting time.
With these data, the applicant will be able to know when to apply for their status or residence. Of course, these requests will depend on the priority date, which must be prior to the one indicated in the table (which can be accessed by clicking on the link provided at the beginning of this article), either for your category or country of residence.
Family-Based Petitions Overview
This category is subdivided into four items: F1, F2, F3, and F4, outlined below for better context of the September update.
F1 Category
The F1 category includes people over 21, children of US citizens whose priority date is January 1, 2015, and who have a waiting period of eight years and eight months. The exception in this case is for Mexico and the Philippines, whose new deadline is April 1, 2005, and April 22, 2015, respectively.
F2 Category
The F2 category is subdivided into two. The F-2A is for spouses and unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents. However, it is no longer valid, so applicants must wait much longer to opt for a Green Card.
The F-2B is aimed at unmarried children over 21 years of age of a Legal Permanent Resident. For them, the priority date is September 22, 2015, with a waiting period of seven years, 11 months, and nine days, except for Mexico and the Philippines, whose new deadline is August 1, 2004, and August 1, 2013, respectively.
F3 Category
There is also F3, which covers married children of US citizens, with a priority date of January 8, 2009, and a waiting period of 14 years, nine months, and 24 days.
F4 Category
While the F4 includes siblings of a citizen, in this case, the priority date is April 22, 2007, with a delivery time of 16 years, four months, and nine days.
Job-Based Petitions Overview
This section includes the following groups: extraordinary people, outstanding researchers and professors, and multinational executives and managers (EB-1); exceptional individuals and advanced degree (EB-2) holders; Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled Workers, and Unskilled Workers (EB-3); special immigrants (EB-4); investors (EB-5).
In the bulletin of September 2023, the EB-1 group that includes priority workers, the priority date is August 1, 2023, for most countries. Therefore, they only have a waiting time of one month.
While in the EB-2 group, the Final Action Date will advance three months worldwide, that is, until July 1, 2022, except for India and China.
For its part, the EB-3 group shows a 3-month change for China. However, the EB-4 and EB-5 did not present any modification.
How to read the visa bulletin for September 2023
We realize that the data described may not be as easy to understand for certain groups of applicants. To analyze and understand the bulletin, it is necessary to consider that people who wish to file adjustment of status applications with USCIS must use the “final action dates” boxes in the tables.
Once the institution determines that more immigrant visas are available than known applicants for the fiscal year, it will indicate on its website that applicants can now be guided by the dates to submit applications. Taking this into consideration, the reading can be made simpler.
Relevant data from the September 2023 newsletter
As mentioned, DOS and USCIS announced that by September 2023, family petitions must be governed by the “Dates Due” chart and family petitions by the “Final Action Dates” chart.
Regarding the most relevant points of the bulletin, in the EB-1, there are no relevant changes in the Final Action Dates. For its part, in EB-2, the Final Action Date at the global level will have an advance of three months, reaching July 1, 2022. And, for EB-3, specifically for professionals and skilled workers from China, the waiting time will advance three months until September 1, 2019.
The importance of understanding the visa bulletin
In addition to following up on your application for a Green Card, consulting the visa bulletin will allow you to estimate the waiting time to obtain it. If the application is approved, you will be able to manage all the necessary documentation in advance and present them promptly and accurately.
For this, following up on the news is essential since the bulletin is updated monthly. What was agreed throughout 2022, for example, does not necessarily apply to the current year.
We know that reading the tables of the bulletin can be challenging. At Kannan Law Firm, we will be happy to help you with this update process or the steps to follow in case the date of formalization approaches. Tell us about your case, and our specialized team will contact you to advise you.