March 2021 Visa Bulletin Released
The Department of State (DOS) has issued its March 2021 Visa Bulletin. Both employment-based and family-based priority dates are detailed below.
Employment-based movement
Overall, all three employment-based categories remain open except for nationals of China and India. Most employment categories for Indian and Chinese nationals will have meaningful forward movement as compared to last month, with significant forward movement under the EB-1 category.
For the EB-1 category, immigrant visas continue to be available for most nationals. The priority date for EB-1 advances by seven months for both Chinese and Indian nationals.
For the EB-2 category, immigrant visas also continue to be available for most nationals. The priority date for EB-2 advances by one month for Chinese nationals and just over three months for Indian nationals.
Finally, for the EB-3 category, the priority date also remains available for most nationals. The priority date for Chinese nationals advancing by five weeks and for Indian nationals by three months.
Here’s a chart for ease of reference:
Family-based Movement:
Overall, most family-based categories will have slight forward movement.
For the F-1 category, priority dates moves forward by one month for most nationals. The priority date for Mexican nationals advances by seventeen days and by one week for nationals of the Philippines.
For the F2-A category, immigrant visas continue to be available for all nationals.
For the F2-B category, priority dates advances one week for most nationals. The priority date for Mexican nationals advances by six weeks and stays the same for nationals of the Philippines
For the F-3 category, there will be a two week advancement for most nationals. The priority date moves forward by two weeks for Mexican nationals and one week for nationals of the Philippines.
Finally, for the F-4 category, there will be a one week advancement for most nationals. The priority date moves forward one week for nationals of India and Mexico and moves forward one month for nationals of the Philippines.
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 March 2021, USCIS has confirmed the Final Action dates (above) chart should be used for all employment-based categories.
For family-based categories, USCIS has announced that F2A 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 March.
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.