Recent Visa Bulletin Shows Significant Improvement for India and China EB-2 categories
January 9- The release of the February 2012 Visa Bulletin by the Department of State shows a significant 12-month jump for China and India EB-2 categories, which now show a January 2010 priority date. The EB-2 category, or Second Preference category, is for members of the professions holding advanced degrees or foreign nationals of exceptional ability. Only two months ago, EB-2 category visas were backlogged all the way to March 2008.
The February 2012 Visa Bulletin shows that visa applicants in the EB-2 categories from China and India with priority dates of January 2010 may now apply for a visa. On its website, USCIS attributes the vast improvement in priority cut-off dates in recent months to system-wide efforts to prompt greater numbers of Adjustment of Status filings, as well as the unanticipated slowing of new EB-2 filings. The aggressive advancement of the cut-off dates is intended to maximize the number of visas allowed under the statutory numerical limit for the fiscal year.
Visa preference categories become backlogged, subjecting intending immigrants to a queue, because the total number of annual employment-based immigrant visas is limited by federal law. Additionally, an annual per-country limitation of 7% of the total immigrant visas results in some countries becoming “oversubscribed”, as are China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. When a preference category is oversubscribed, the DOS assigns a visa applicant a priority date that determines his position in the visa waiting line and shows when he may become eligible to apply for an immigrant visa.
The February 2012 Visa Bulletin shows that visa applicants in the EB-2 categories from China and India with priority dates of January 2010 may now apply for a visa. On its website, USCIS attributes the vast improvement in priority cut-off dates in recent months to system-wide efforts to prompt greater numbers of Adjustment of Status filings, as well as the unanticipated slowing of new EB-2 filings. The aggressive advancement of the cut-off dates is intended to maximize the number of visas allowed under the statutory numerical limit for the fiscal year.
Visa preference categories become backlogged, subjecting intending immigrants to a queue, because the total number of annual employment-based immigrant visas is limited by federal law. Additionally, an annual per-country limitation of 7% of the total immigrant visas results in some countries becoming “oversubscribed”, as are China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. When a preference category is oversubscribed, the DOS assigns a visa applicant a priority date that determines his position in the visa waiting line and shows when he may become eligible to apply for an immigrant visa.
