December 2021 Visa Bulletin Released

The Department of State (DOS) has issued its December 2021 Visa Bulletin.  The most significant development for the December 2021 Visa Bulletin is that priority dates for EB-2 India move past the EB-3 category. Family-based priority dates mostly remain the same as last month except for advancements for Mexican nationals in all categories. 

DOS has not scheduled a discussion about the December Visa Bulletin with the Chief of the Visa Control section, Charlie Oppenheim, on their YouTube Channel. 

Employment-based Movement

The EB-1 category remains open (“current” or “C” in DOS talk) worldwide, including for Indian and Chinese nationals.  The EB-2 and EB-3 categories also remain open for most nationals except for nationals of China and India.  

The priority date for EB-2 advances by five months for Indian nationals.  EB-2 China advances by one month and seventeen days.

The priority date for EB-3 remains the same for Chinese and Indian nationals.

Here’s a chart for ease of reference:

Family-based Movement

All final action dates for family-based categories remain the same as the previous month except for Mexico, for which there are advancements in all categories.

By way of reminder, the categories are:

  • F-1 category:  unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

  • F2-A category: spouses and children under 21 of lawful permanent residents

  • F2-B category: unmarried adult children (over 21) of lawful permanent residents

  • F-3 category:  married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

  • F-4 category:  siblings of U.S. citizens

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 December 2021, USCIS has confirmed the Dates for Filing chart should be used for all employment-based categories. 

Here’s a chart for ease of reference:

For family-based categories, USCIS has announced that F-2A applicants may file using the Final Action Dates chart (above). Applicants in all other family-sponsored preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart provided below. 

If the priority date for your employment or family-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 in December. 

The entire visa bulletin is available on the State Department’s website, which includes 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.

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

Nadia Yakoob