February 2020 Visa Bulletin Released
FEBRUARY 2020 VISA BULLETIN RELEASED
The Department of State (DOS) has issued its February 2020 Visa Bulletin. Overall, most employment categories will have modest forward movement. Employment-based category 1 (“EB-1) for most nationals advances by two months while there is no change for Chinese and Indian nationals in the EB-1 category.
For the EB-2 category, immigrant visas are available for most nationals. However, for Chinese nationals, the priority date advances by 14 days while for Indian nationals the priority date moves forward by a mere one day.
Finally, for the EB-3 category, immigrant visas are available for most nationals. However, for Chinese nationals the priority date moves forward by one month and, for nationals of the Philippines, the priority date advances by 75 days. The priority date for Indian nationals advances by seven days in February.
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 here 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 website that you must use the Application Final Action Dates chart (above) to determine when you may file your adjustment of status application in the United States.
For February 2020, USCIS has announced the Dates for Filing chart should be used as detailed below:
If the priority date for your employment-based category is before the date listed above and you are in the United States, you may file your application to adjust status along with the applications for employment authorization and travel permission (assuming you have no bars to admissibility) with USCIS.
The entire visa bulletin is available on the State Department’s website, which includes priority dates for family-based categories and the diversity visa lottery.
If you would like more information on how to understand the monthly visa bulletin, please check out our blog post on this topic.