OCTOBER 2023 VISA BULLETIN

The Department of State has just issued the October 2023 Visa Bulletin, which is the first of the 2024 US fiscal year  This blog post analyzes this month's Visa Bulletin.

Visa Bulletin

Table A: Final Action Dates -- Applications with these dates may be approved for their Green Card (Permanent Residency card) or Immigrant Visa appointment.

Employment- based	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
1st	C	15FEB22	01JAN17	C	C
2nd	08JUL22	01OCT19	01JAN12	08JUL22	08JUL22
3rd	01DEC21	01JAN20	01MAY12	01DEC21	01DEC21

Table B: Dates of Filing

The USCIS is expected to use the Table B Dates of Filing chart for I-485 employment-based filings. See: USCIS Visa Bulletin Dates

MU Law Analysis

The most notable dates in the Visa Bulletin were the -1DEC21 dates for Philippine and All Other EB-3.  While these dates moved forward from last month’s May 2020 dates, many were hoping for progression at least in 2022.  MU Law believes that the State Department is acting conservatively, which while frustrating, may prove to ratchet down the anxiety around the monthly chart, and provide a better measure of processing times for those involved.  While no one likes a ~20 month retrogression, it may be wise.  We do expect these categories to steadily progress throughout the fiscal year pushing through 2022, and perhaps getting into 2023 before the end of the fiscal year.

India EB-3 and China EB-3 advanced by more than three years to May 1, 2012 (India), and by four months to January 1, 2020 (China), reflecting the slow but steady movement in those categories. 

India EB-2 progressed to January 1, 2012.  China EB-2 is now October 1, 2019.  The ROW EB-2 held basically even, advancing by just one week, to July 8, 2022.