On June 21, 2019, Department of State’s Charlie Oppenheim provided predictions for movements of immigrant visa numbers, which were published in the July 2019 Visa Bulletin. The following are the projections for the family-based and employment-based preference filings.
Family-Based Worldwide Categories:
The F-2A category advanced to “current” across the board in the July 2019 Visa Bulletin. However, although the Final Action Date for this category is current, the Date for Filing is March 8, 2019. This was done to prevent a deluge of consular filings in this category. The “current” status of the F-2A category is not expected to have any impact on the number usage for fiscal year 2019 (this year).
Employment-Based Preference Categories:
Employment First (EB-1):
The Final Action Date for EB-1 Worldwide remains at April 22, 2018. The DOS predicts that this category will retrogress as early as August 2019. However, if the demand rate allows, the goals is the Final Action Date will return to April 22, 2018, in October 2019.
The Final Action Date for EB-1 India remains at January 1, 2015. No forward movement is anticipated for fiscal year 2019. The goal is to return to a Final Action Date of February 22, 2017, in October 2019.
The Final Action Date for EB-1 China will advance approximately two months to May 8, 2017, in July 2019.
It is anticipated that the Final Action Dates for EB-1 China and India will continue to lag behind that for the EB-1 Worldwide category.
Employment Second (EB-2):
The EB-2 Worldwide category’s Final Action Date will most likely backlog as early as August 2019 and it is unknown how much it will regress. The goal is return the Final Actin Date to current in October 2019.
For July 2019, the Final Action Date for EB-2 China advanced to November 1, 2016. China’s Final Action Date may mirror the Worldwide category’s date if corrective action is required for EB-2 Worldwide in August 2019.
For EB-2 India in July 2019, the Final Action Date advances five days to April 24, 2009, and it should continue to advance of up to one day per week until the limit is reached.
Employment Third (EB-3):
For July 2019, visa numbers for the Worldwide EB-3 category are predicted to regress as early as August 2019.
The EB-3 China category advanced to January 1, 2016 in the July 2019 Visa Bulletin and the EB-3 China Other Workers advanced to November 22, 2007. The EB-3 category for China will most likely advance several months.
The Final Action Date for EB-3 India remains at July 1, 2009, with little advancement predicted for the near future.
Employment Fourth (EB-4):
For the EB-4 Worldwide category and India for July 2019, visa numbers should remain current, with the exception of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, which advance to July 1, 2016.
Employment Fifth (EB-5):
In July 2019, EB-5 India has a Final Action Date of May 1, 2017, and it is anticipated that there will continue to be a Final Action Date moving forward. The EB-5 China Final Action date remains at October 1, 2014, and EB-5 Vietnam’s Final Action Date remains at October 1, 2016. All other countries remain current for this category. In August and September 2019, EB-5 India and EB-5 Vietnam are expected to have the same Final Action Date as EB-5 China.