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The financial year 2025 has started with mixed news for those in the green card queue. The Department of State has released the October 2024 Visa Bulletin, providing a snapshot of immigrant visas available for the first month of financial year 2025. Notably, the Final Action date for the China EB-3 category has been pushed back by five months to April 1, 2020. On the other hand, the Date for Filing for this category will retrogress by around eight months.
Meanwhile, those under the India EB-5 Unreserved category will see more positive movement, with the Final Action date advancing by over a year to January 1, 2022. China’s EB-5 category has also advanced by seven months, but the Date for Filing will retrogress slightly.
What is the US visa bulletin?
The US Visa Bulletin is a key document that provides priority dates, effectively placeholders for green card applicants in various categories. Each month, the Department of State determines how many applications are waiting in each category, allowing them to estimate when different applicants might move forward in their immigration process.
Ways you can move forward
There are two paths available depending on your situation:
1. Filing for adjustment of status if you’re already living in the US.
2. Applying for an immigrant visa if you’re outside the US.
Employment-based preference categories
The Visa Bulletin breaks down into five employment-based preference categories, each allocated a specific percentage of global visas:
1. Priority workers (EB-1):
Receive 28.6% of global employment-based visas.
Can use any surplus visas from the EB-4 and EB-5 categories.
2. Members of the professions holding advanced degrees/persons of exceptional ability (EB-2):
Get 28.6% of global visas.
Can use any unused visas from the EB-1 category.
3. Skilled workers, professionals, and other workers (EB-3):
Receive 28.6% of global visas.
10,000 visas are reserved for “other workers”.
4. Certain special immigrants (EB-4):
Get 7.1% of global visas, with 32% allocated to immigrant investors in rural or high-unemployment areas.
5. Employment creation (EB-5):
Receive 7.1% of worldwide employment-based visas.
Key changes in October 2024 Visa Bulletin
EB-1
There is limited movement in the first preference category. China sees a small advancement of one week, while India’s date remains unchanged at February 1, 2022. All other countries continue to be current.
Under the Date of Filing Chart, India’s cutoff date moves forward by more than two months to April 15, 2022, while China remains at January 1, 2023.
EB-2
The second preference category has seen slight advancements. For China, the Final Action date advances by three weeks to March 22, 2020. India remains unchanged at July 15, 2012, and for the rest of the world, the cutoff remains at March 15, 2023.
Under the Date of Filing Chart, there is movement for both China and India. India’s cutoff advances by six months to January 1, 2013, and China moves forward by four months to October 1, 2020.
EB-3
In the third preference category, China’s Final Action date has retrogressed by five months to April 1, 2020, an unusual development for this point in the financial year. For India, the date advances by one week to November 1, 2012, while the rest of the world sees a more substantial movement, advancing by almost two years to November 15, 2022.
For the Date of Filing Chart, China’s date moves back by around eight months, while India’s cutoff date advances by seven months.
EB-4
EB-4 (Minister and Non-Minister Religious Workers Programme), is set to expire on September 30, 2024, unless the US Congress extends it. If not extended, no visas in this category will be issued from September 29, 2024.
EB-5
The EB-5 Unreserved category sees some advancement. India’s date moves forward by more than a year, while China’s date advances by seven months. However, the Date for Filing for China retrogresses by three months.
Family-based preference categories
In the family-based preference categories, there are few changes for October, except for Mexico and India in certain categories.
F1: Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens
Mexico sees an advancement of over seven months to January 1, 2003, while the rest of the world, including the Philippines, remains unchanged.
F2A: Spouses and children of permanent residents
Mexico’s dates advance by one month, while for the rest of the world, there is no movement.
F2B: Unmarried sons and daughters, 21 years of age or older, of permanent residents
Mexico’s date advances by six months to January 15, 2005.
F3: Married sons and daughters of US citizens
Mexico moves forward by five months to August 22, 2000, with no change for other countries.
F4: Brothers and sisters of adult US citizens
India’s dates advance by one month to March 1, 2006.
The US Visa Bulletin serves as a guide to understanding where you stand and how the US immigration system may progress in the coming months.