Employment-Based Cut-off Date Changes for Next Month Compared to the Current Month’s Visa Bulletin
| Preference Category | Chargeability | Change From Last Month’s Visa Bulletin |
| EB-1 | All Chargeability Areas | Current |
| China | Advances to Current |
| India | Advances to Current |
| Mexico | Current |
| Philippines | Current |
| EB-2 | All Chargeability Areas | Advances to Current |
| China | Advances 3 years, 2 months |
| India | Advances 4 years, 2 months |
| Mexico | Advances to Current |
| Philippines | Advances to Current |
| EB-3 | All Chargeability Areas | Advances to Current |
| China | Advances 4 years, 4 months |
| India | Advances 4½ months |
| Mexico | Advances to Current |
| Philippines | Advances 3 years, 2 months |
| | | |
3. Relevant U.S. State Department Commentary
E. VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE COMING MONTHS
FAMILY-sponsored categories (potential monthly movement)
Worldwide dates:
F1: Three to five weeks
F2A: Up to one month
F2B: Up to one month
F3: Two to four weeks
F4: Three to five weeks
EMPLOYMENT-based categories (potential monthly movement)
Employment First: Current
Employment Second:
Worldwide: Current
China: Up to three months.
India: Up to four months.
Employment Third:
Worldwide: The rapid forward movement of this final action date during the past year should generate a significant amount of demand for numbers. When such demand begins to materialize it will be necessary to limit movement of this final action date.
China: Up to three months.
India: Up to one week.
Mexico: Will remain at the worldwide date.
Philippines: Up to three weeks
Employment Fourth: Current for most countries. El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras: up to two months
Employment Fifth: The category will remain “Current” for most countries. China-mainland born: Slow forward movement.
The above projections for the Family and Employment categories indicate what is likely to happen on a monthly basis through January based on current applicant demand patterns. Readers should never assume that recent trends in final action date movements are guaranteed for the future, or that "corrective" action will not be required at some point in an effort to maintain number use within the applicable annual limits. The determination of the actual monthly final action dates is subject to fluctuations in applicant demand and a number of other variables.
4. Relevant USCIS Information about Cut-off Dates for the October Visa Bulletin
On Sept. 8, the Department of State published its Visa Bulletin for October 2016. The Visa Bulletin is a monthly report on visa availability. USCIS has determined that for the month of October 2016, applicants for all family-sponsored and employment-based preferences may use the Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart, except for certain employment-based fourth preference (EB-4) non-minister religious workers and for employment-based fifth preference (EB-5) Regional Center Program participants, as explained below. These two groups must use the Application Final Action Dates chart.
Notes:
Employment-based applicants include Special Immigrant Juveniles because they adjust their status under the EB-4 visa category.
Statutory authorization for both the EB-5 Regional Center Program and the EB-4 non-minister special immigrant program for certain religious workers is scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, 2016. Therefore, visas are unavailable for these categories after that date, unless Congress enacts, and the President approves, a law extending their eligibility. If these programs are reauthorized, USCIS will update the Visa Bulletin and program webpages. For more details, read section D, “Scheduled Expiration of Two Employment Visa Categories,” in the October 2016 Visa Bulletin.