STATUTORY NUMBERS (This communication provides priority dates and other transitional information as taken from the State Department’s Visa Bulletin released January 10, 1997.) On the following chart, the listing of a date for any class indicates that the class is oversubscribed; “C” means current, i.e., numbers are available for all qualified applicants; and “U” means unavailable, i.e., no numbers are available.
PREFERENCES
FAMILY
All Charge-
ability Areas
Except Those
Listed INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES
1st 01APR96 01APR96 08SEP92 15JUL86
2A* 08FEB93 08FEB93 01JUN92 08FEB93
2B 15FEB91 15FEB91 15FEB91 15FEB91
3rd 15NOV93 15NOV93 22DEC87 15OCT85
4th 15JUL86 08FEB85 15AUG85 22NOV77
*NOTE: For FEBRUARY, 2A numbers EXEMPT from per-country limit are available to applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than 01JUN92. 2A numbers SUBJECT to per-country limit are available to applicants chargeable to all countries EXCEPT MEXICO with priority dates beginning 01JUN92 and earlier than 08FEB93. (2A numbers subject to per-country limit are “unavailable” for applicants chargeable to MEXICO.)
EMPLOYMENT-BASED
All Charge-
ability Areas
Except Those
Listed INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES
1st C C C C
2nd C 01NOV95 C C
3rd C 01SEP94 C C
Other 01FEB90 01FEB90 01FEB90 01FEB90
Workers
4th C C C C
Certain C C C C
Religious Workers
5th C C C C
Targeted C C C C
Employment Areas/Regional Centers
The Department of State has available a recorded message with visa availability information which can be heard at (202) 663-1541. This recording will be updated in the middle of each month with information on cut-off dates for the following month.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FEBRUARY 1997 VISA BULLETIN
B. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY
Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act provides 55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to provide immigration opportunities for persons from countries other than the principal sources of current immigration to the United States. DV visas are divided among six geographic regions. Not more than 3,850 visas(7% of the 55,000 visa limit) may be provided to immigrants from any one country.
For FEBRUARY, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified 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:
All DV Charge-
ability Areas
Except Those
Region Listed Separately
AFRICA AF 35,830 EXCEPT: GHANA AF 10,730
NIGERIA AF 09,750
ASIA AS 08,210 EXCEPT: BANGLADESH AS 05,880
EUROPE CURRENT EXCEPT: ALBANIA EU 16,850
POLAND EU 08,301
NORTH AMERICA
(BAHAMAS) CURRENT
OCEANIA CURRENT
SOUTH AMERICA CURRENT
(CENTRAL AMERICA,
and the CARRIBBEAN
(NOTE: For MARCH, there will be a regional rank cut-off for Europe because of heavy applicant demand for numbers. Increased demand for DV numbers from Oceania will make necessary the establishment of a regional rank cut-off for April.)
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-97 program ends as of September 30, 1997. DV visas may not be issued to DV-97 applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-97 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 1997.
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. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.