February 2019 Visa Bulletin Released

The Department of State (DOS) has issued its February 2019 Visa Bulletin. Overall, movement in all categories has slowed down considerably.  EB-1 for most nationals advanced by two months while Chinese and Indian nationals advanced by only one month.  For the EB-2 category, Chinese nationals advanced by two months while Indian nationals advanced by only five days. Lastly, EB-3 for Chinese nationals moved forward by twenty-three days, while Indian and Philippine nationals advanced by a month and a few days.

Here’s a chart for ease of reference:

 WHAT DATES IN THE VISA BULLETIN SHOULD YOU USE FOR FILING YOUR ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS APPLICATION WITH USCIS?

If USCIS determines that there are more immigrant visas available for a fiscal year than there are known applicants for such visas, then USCIS will state on www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo that you may use the Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin, which usually has dates earlier than the Final Action Dates noted above. Otherwise, USCIS will indicate on its web site that you must use the Application Final Action Dates chart (which is above) to determine when you may file your adjustment of status application in the United States.  For February 2019, USCIS has announced that the Application Final Action Dates must be used for employment-based filings.  

If you would like more information on how to understand the monthly visa bulletin, please check out our blogpost here.

This alert is for informational purposes.  Please contact us if you would like to discuss these developments further.