Business Immigration Insights

The Visa Bulletin is released monthly by the Department of State and is used to determine when a sponsored foreign national can submit the final step of the green card process, or if already pending, when the final step can be adjudicated.

Below is a summary of the October Visa Bulletin, including Final Action Dates and changes from the previous month.

India:  EB-1 advances 5 years, to January 1, 2017; EB-2 advances 1 year, to January 1, 2012; EB-3 and EB-3 Other Workers both advance 40 months (3 years, 4 months), to May 1, 2012. See NOTE 1 below.

China:  EB-1 inches ahead 2 weeks, to February 15, 2022; EB-2 advances almost 3 months, to October 1, 2019; EB-3 advances 4 months, to January 1, 2020; EB-3 Other Workers also advances 4 months, to January 1, 2016.

All Other Countries:  EB-1 is once again current; EB-2 creeps ahead one week, to July 8, 2022; EB-3 advances 19 months (1 year, 7 months), to December 1, 2021; and EB-3 Other Workers advances 3 months, to August 1, 2020.

NOTE 1:   To put these advances in context, employment-based visa categories for India have advanced compared to September 2023, but not compared to this time last year. In the October 2022 Visa Bulletin, EB-1 India was current, and EB-2, EB-3, and EB-3 Other Workers had priority dates of April 1, 2012. So compared to October 2022, EB-2 has regressed 4 months and EB-3 and EB-3 Other Workers have advanced just 1 month.

NOTE 2:   As expected at the beginning of a new fiscal year, final action dates in most employment-based visa categories have advanced. The October Visa Bulletin states that there may be additional advances throughout Fiscal Year 2024, but that will depend on visa demand and issuance patterns.

NOTE 3:   USCIS will accept I-485 applications in October based on the Department of State’s slightly more favorable Dates for Filing chart.