< back

10. State Department Visa Bulletin: July 2012 July Visa Bulletin Summary: Family 1st - World numbers, China and India jumped two weeks to 08 July 05; Mexico three and a half weeks to 08 June 93; Philippines stalled at 01 July 97.   Family 2A – World numbers, China, India, and the Philippines jumped one month and two weeks to 15 February 10; Mexico advanced two months to 01 February 10.   Family 2B - World numbers, China, and India jumped 2 weeks to 01 May 04; Mexico stalled at 01 January 92; Philippines jumped 2 weeks to 22 December 01.   Family 3rd – World numbers, China, and India moved forward 2 weeks to 15 April 02; Mexico advanced one week to 22 January 93; Philippines remains stalled at 22 July 92.   Family 4th – World numbers, China jumped three and a half weeks to 08 January 01; India jumped 2 weeks to 22 January 01; Mexico advanced one week to 08 June 96; Philippines advanced a week and a half to 01 February 89.   Employment 1st – still current in all categories.   Employment 2nd – World numbers, Mexico, and Philippines advanced to 01 January 09; numbers for China and India are unavailable.   Employment 3rd – World numbers, Mexico advanced 6 weeks 22 July 06; Philippines advanced two and a half weeks to 08 June 06; China jumped six weeks to 22 September 05; India moved a week to 22 September 05.   Employment 3rd Other Workers – World numbers, Mexico stalled at 22 Jul 06; Philippines stalled at 08 June 06; China jumped three and a half to 15 June 03; one week advance for India to 22 September 02.   Employment 4th – still current in all categories.   Employment 5th – still current in all categories. Number 46 Volume IX Washington, D.C. A. STATUTORY NUMBERS 1. This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during July. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status. Allocations were made, to the extent possible, in chronological order of reported priority dates, for demand received by June 8th. If not all demand could be satisfied, the category or foreign state in which demand was excessive was deemed oversubscribed. The cut-off date for an oversubscribed category is the priority date of the first applicant who could not be reached within the numerical limits. Only applicants who have a priority date earlier than the cut-off date may be allotted a number. If it becomes necessary during the monthly allocation process to retrogress a cut-off date, supplemental requests for numbers will be honored only if the priority date falls within the new cut-off date announced in this bulletin. 2. Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets an annual minimum family-sponsored preference limit of 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000. Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320. 3. INA Section 203(e) provides that family-sponsored and employment-based preference visas be issued to eligible immigrants in the order in which a petition in behalf of each has been filed. Section 203(d) provides that spouses and children of preference immigrants are entitled to the same status, and the same order of consideration, if accompanying or following to join the principal. The visa prorating provisions of Section 202(e) apply to allocations for a foreign state or dependent area when visa demand exceeds the per-country limit. These provisions apply at present to the following oversubscribed chargeability areas: CHINA-mainland born, INDIA, MEXICO, and PHILIPPINES. 4. Section 203(a) of the INA prescribes preference classes for allotment of Family-sponsored immigrant visas as follows: FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES First: (F1) Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference. Second: Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, plus any unused first preference numbers: A. (F2A) Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit; B. (F2B) Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older) of Permanent Residents: 23% of the overall second preference limitation. Third: (F3) Married Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences. Fourth: (F4) Brothers and Sisters of Adult U.S. Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences. On the chart below, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is oversubscribed (see paragraph 1); "C" means current, i.e., numbers are available for all qualified applicants; and "U" means unavailable, i.e., no numbers are available. (NOTE: Numbers are available only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below.) Family-Sponsored All Charge-ability Areas Except Those Listed CHINA- mainland born INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES F1 08JUL05 08JUL05 08JUL05 08JUN93 15JUL97 F2A 15FEB10 15FEB10 15FEB10 01FEB10 15FEB10 F2B 01MAY04 01MAY04 01MAY04 01JAN92 22DEC01 F3 15APR02 15APR02 15APR02 22JAN93 22JUL92 F4 22JAN01 08JAN01 22JAN01 08JUN96 01FEB89 *NOTE: For July, F2A numbers EXEMPT from per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 01FEB10. F2A numbers SUBJECT to per-country limit are available to applicants chargeable to all countries EXCEPT MEXICO with priority dates beginning 01FEB10 and earlier than 15FEB10. (All F2A numbers provided for MEXICO are exempt from the per-country limit; there are no F2A numbers for MEXICO subject to per-country limit.) 5. Section 203(b) of the INA prescribes preference classes for allotment of Employment-based immigrant visas as follows: EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES First: Priority Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences. Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required by first preference. Third: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences, not more than 10,000 of which to "*Other Workers". Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants: 7.1% of the worldwide level. Fifth: Employment Creation: 7.1% of the worldwide level, not less than 3,000 of which reserved for investors in a targeted rural or high-unemployment area, and 3,000 set aside for investors in regional centers by Sec. 610 of Pub. L. 102-395. On the chart below, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is oversubscribed (see paragraph 1); "C" means current, i.e., numbers are available for all qualified applicants; and "U" means unavailable, i.e., no numbers are available. (NOTE: Numbers are available only for applicants whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below.) Employment- Based All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed CHINA- mainland born INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES 1st C C C C C 2nd 01JAN09 U U 01JAN09 01JAN09 3rd 22JUL06 22SEP05 22SEP02 22JUL06 08JUN06 Other Workers 22JUL06 15JUN03 22SEP02 22JUL06 08JUN06 4th C C C C C Certain Religious Workers C C C C C 5th Targeted Employment Areas/ Regional Centers and Pilot Programs C C C C C *Employment Third Preference Other Workers Category: Section 203(e) of the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997, as amended by Section 1(e) of Pub. L. 105-139, provides that once the Employment Third Preference Other Worker (EW) cut-off date has reached the priority date of the latest EW petition approved prior to November 19, 1997, the 10,000 EW numbers available for a fiscal year are to be reduced by up to 5,000 annually beginning in the following fiscal year. This reduction is to be made for as long as necessary to offset adjustments under the NACARA program. Since the EW cut-off date reached November 19, 1997 during Fiscal Year 2001, the reduction in the EW annual limit to 5,000 began in Fiscal Year 2002. 6. The Department of State has a recorded message with visa availability information which can be heard at: (202) 663-1541. This recording is updated on or about the tenth of each month with information on cut-off dates for the following month. B. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY Section 203(c) of the INA provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to permit additional immigration opportunities for persons from countries with low admissions during the previous five years. The NACARA stipulates that beginning with DV-99, and for as long as necessary, up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NACARA program. This resulted in reduction of the DV-2012 annual limit to 50,000. DV visas are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year. For July, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2012 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number: Region All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately AFRICA CURRENT ASIA CURRENT EUROPE CURRENT Except: Uzbekistan 17,700 NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) CURRENT OCEANIA CURRENT SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN CURRENT Entitlement to immigrant status in the DV category lasts only through the end of the fiscal (visa) year for which the applicant is selected in the lottery. The year of entitlement for all applicants registered for the DV-2012 program ends as of September 30, 2012. DV visas may not be issued to DV-2012 applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2012 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2012. DV visa availability through the very end of FY-2012 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted prior to September 30. C. ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF THE DIVERSITY (DV) IMMIGRANT CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN AUGUST For August, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2012 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number: Region All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately AFRICA CURRENT ASIA CURRENT EUROPE CURRENT NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) CURRENT OCEANIA CURRENT SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN CURRENT D. EMPLOYMENT SECOND PREFERENCE VISA AVAILABILITY Continued heavy demand for numbers in the Employment Second preference category has required the establishment of a Worldwide cut-off date for the month of July. This action has been taken in an effort to hold number use within the annual numerical limit. Should there be an increase in the current demand pattern, it may be necessary to make this category completely "unavailable" prior to September 30, 2012. The China and India Employment Second preference categories are already "unavailable", and will remain so for the remainder of the fiscal year. E. OBTAINING THE MONTHLY VISA BULLETIN The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs publishes the monthly Visa Bulletin on their website at www.travel.state.gov under the Visas section. Alternatively, visitors may access the Visa Bulletin directly by going to: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html To be placed on the Department of State’s E-mail subscription list for the "Visa Bulletin", please send an E-mail to the following E-mail address: listserv@calist.state.gov and in the message body type: Subscribe Visa-Bulletin First name/Last name (example: Subscribe Visa-Bulletin Sally Doe) To be removed from the Department of State’s E-mail subscription list for the "Visa Bulletin", send an e-mail message to the following E-mail address: listserv@calist.state.gov and in the message body type: Signoff Visa-Bulletin The Department of State also has available a recorded message with visa cut-off dates which can be heard at: (202) 663-1541. The recording is normally updated by the middle of each month with information on cut-off dates for the following month. Readers may submit questions regarding Visa Bulletin related items by E-mail at the following address: VISABULLETIN@STATE.GOV (This address cannot be used to subscribe to the Visa Bulletin.) Department June 8, 2012

< Back | Index | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.