Client Payment Portal

December 2022 Visa Bulletin – Update

Nov 21, 2022 | Immigration Updates

On Thursday, November 17th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that it will honor the State Department’s Date for Filing chart from the State Department’s December 2022 Visa Bulletin. The December 2022 Visa Bulletin was released late in the monthly cycle which may be a sign that USCIS and State Department were wrestling with challenges internally before issuing this month’s Visa Bulletin.

Most notably, the December Visa Bulletin introduces a final action priority date of November 1, 2022 for EB-2 “All Other Countries.” This restriction, also in place for dates for filing, for the EB-2 classification for “All Other Countries” this early in the government’s fiscal year may linger and may further challenge green card timelines for applicants previously planning to concurrently submit their I-140 Immigrant Petitions with their I-485 Adjustment of Status Applications. Lastly, the further retrogression for India EB-2 final action date (now October 8, 2011) will result in continued lengthy adjudication timelines for this category.

Dates for Filing: Notes

  • EB-1: All countries will remain current.
  • EB-2: China EB-2 will remain at July 8, 2019.
  • India EB-2 will remain at May 1, 2012.
  • El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines and all other countries for EB-2 will change from current to Dec. 1, 2022.
  • EB-3: China EB-3 will advance over a month to Sept. 1, 2018.
  • India EB-3 will advance one month to Aug. 1, 2012.
  • All other countries under EB-3 will remain current.
  • EB-5: Unreserved India and China remain backlogged.

Family Based Information: USCIS to honor Dates for Filing chart for family-based applicants in December 2022. Please refer to the State Department’s full Visa Bulletin for further details available here.

Related Posts:

Labor Dept. Requests Comments on Attestation for Employers Seeking to Employ H-2B Nonimmigrant Workers

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval an Employment and Training Administration (ETA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) for attestations for employers seeking to employ H-2B nonimmigrant workers. DOL invites public comments on the ICR by June 30, 2023. The ICR supports the temporary final rule, “Exercise of Time-Limited Authority to Increase the Numerical Limitation for FY 2023 for H-2B Temporary Nonagricultural Worker Program and Portability Flexibility for H-2B Workers Seeking to Change Employers,” which is being promulgated by DOL and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Details:

Read More

2026 U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery Opens Today

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DIVP) is a government lottery program that offers a straightforward path to obtaining U.S. Permanent Residence (green card). This program allocates 50,000 visas annually to applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States and specific education qualifications. The registration period for the FY2026 U.S. diversity visa (DV-2026) program opens on October 2, 2024, and closes on November 5, 2024. Who Can Apply for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program? To be eligible for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, you, your spouse, or your parent must have been born in a country that sent less than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years. DOS publishes a full list of the eligible countries on its website. For the 2026 program, the following countries are not eligible to apply for DIVP due to high rates of immigration to the United States: In addition to the nationality requirements,  applicants must possess at least a high school diploma or its equivalent; or two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. The Department of State uses the Department of Labor’s O*Net Online system to […]

Read More