The U.S. Department of State has released its Visa Bulletin for April 2023. This Visa Bulletin includes changes in many categories, especially employment-based categories.
In addition, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that an applicant for employment-based adjustment of status must use the Visa Bulletin’s Final Action Dates chart to determine whether they are eligible to file that application in April 2023. This is a departure from USCIS’s practice for the last six months, where the Dates for Filing Chart could be used. Family-sponsored adjustment of status applicants will be able to continue using the Dates for Filing Chart in April 2023.
There has been no change to the Dates for Filing Chart for Family-Sponsored applicants.
F-2A Final Action Dates (for spouses and children of U.S. permanent residents) have retrogressed from Current for all countries to November 1, 2018 for Mexico and September 8, 2020 for all other countries.
EB-1 Final Action Dates remain Current for all countries except for India and China, which retain dates of February 1, 2022.
EB-2 India Final Action Dates will retrogress by eight months, from October 8, 2011 to January 1, 2011.
EB-2 China Final Action Dates will remain at June 8, 2019.
EB-2 Final Action Dates for all other countries will retrogress by four months, from November 1, 2022 to July 1, 2022.
EB-3 India Final Action Dates will remain at June 15, 2012.
EB-3 China Final Action Dates will advance by three months, from August 1, 2018 to November 1, 2018.
EB-3 Final Action Dates for all other countries will remain Current.
EB-4 Final Action Dates for all countries will retrogress considerably, to September 1, 2018.
The U.S. Department of State has indicated that additional retrogression will likely be necessary in the near future. At Tidwell, Swaim & Farquhar, P.C., we will continue monitoring the Visa Bulletin for any updates.
