March 2022 Visa Bulletin Update

Feb 18, 2022 | Immigration Updates

The Department of State has issued its March 2022 Visa Bulletin.  This month’s bulletin includes more advancement in final action dates for India in the EB-2 preference category, which will advance by 4 months to May 1, 2013.  Final action dates for India EB-3 and China EB-2 and EB-3 professionals and skilled workers will remain the same as in February.  All other countries under EB-2 and EB-3 will remain current, and EB-1 also remains current for all countries including India and China. 

EB-5 remains current for all countries, but Regional Center cases are awaiting reauthorization. If reauthorized in March, the EB-5 Regional Center cut-off date will be November 22, 2015.  DOS also indicates that Non-Regional Center cases may see cutoff dates imposed for China as early as April 2022.

Relatedly, if there is sufficient demand in EB-5 cases, DOS also indicates that there may be retrogression as early as April 2022 for India in the EB-2 preference category, which would have utilized any otherwise unused EB-5 numbers.

USCIS has indicated that it will continue to require the use of the dates for filing chart in March, and the dates for filing in March remain unchanged from the previous month for EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 professionals and skilled workers, so no new adjustment of status applications will become eligible to file in March.   

Details:

Related Posts:

‘Dreamers’ and Farmworker Bills Pass House; Fate in Senate Uncertain

On March 18, 2021, two bills that would create a legalization pathway for “Dreamers” and for farmworkers (H-2A temporary agricultural workers) received bipartisan support and passed in the House of Representatives. Passage in the Senate is uncertain, however. According to observers, prospects for both bills in their current form seem dim. Some believe that the agricultural worker bill has a better chance of passage intact. The “Dreamer” bill could pass in at least a scaled-down version. Efforts are being made to persuade a sufficient number of Senate Republicans to vote in favor of the bills, although there has been a hardening of Republicans’ strategy against passing any immigration-related legislation in the Senate while they spotlight difficult conditions at the U.S. border with Mexico and blame President Biden and the Democrats. As Sen. Lindsey Graham has stated, “There is no pathway for anything right now.” In addition to working toward Senate passage, Democrats are considering various other options, including breaking the legislation into smaller pieces that might have an easier chance of passage, tacking immigration measures onto other legislation that has attracted more bipartisan support, or killing the filibuster so only a simple majority would be needed for passage rather than […]

Immigration Update

In this edition, find the latest news on USCIS Filing Tips, Affirmative Asylum Applications, Consular Fee Rule, updates and more! USCIS Releases Filing Tips for Supporters and Beneficiaries of Uniting for Ukraine and for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released filing tips for supporters and beneficiaries of Uniting for Ukraine and for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. USCIS said it has received many duplicate filings of Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, and related inquiries. Some potential supporters are filing multiple Forms I-134A for the same beneficiary. “This adds to our workload, which delays processing,” USCIS said, noting that potential supporters who wish to support more than one beneficiary must file one Form I-134A for each beneficiary.USCIS also has been receiving many Forms I-134A with multiple typos and errors, which also slows processing. Common mistakes include misspelling the beneficiary’s name, incorrect dates of birth, incorrect passport numbers, and incorrect email addresses.As of January 6, 2023, potential supporters must use the new Form I-134A, instead of Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support. Those who filed before January 6 do not need to submit a new form. Details:  Back […]