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 | Cut-off date of 01 JAN 2012 imposed |
| El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras | Current |
| India | Cut-off date of 01 JAN 2012 imposed |
| Mexico | Current |
| Philippines | Current |
| EB-2 | All Chargeability Areas | Current |
| China | Advances 3 weeks |
| El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras | Current |
| India | Advances 1 week |
| Mexico | Current |
| Philippines | Current |
| EB-3 | All Chargeability Areas | Advances 1 month |
| China | No change |
| El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras | Advances 1 month |
| India | Advances ~7 weeks |
| Mexico | Advances 1 month |
| Philippines | Advances 4 months |
Relevant U.S. State Department Commentary
OVERSUBSCRIPTION OF THE CHINA AND INDIA EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIRST (E1) PREFERENCE CATEGORIES
Readers were advised in item D of the May Visa Bulletin number 5, that it would be necessary to impose a date for these two countries in the near future. The continued high level of demand for E1 numbers for USCIS adjustment of status applicants has required the establishment of a date for June. This has been done in an attempt to hold number use within the Worldwide E1 annual limit. The E1 date for these two countries will once again become CURRENT for October, the first month of fiscal year 2018.
EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISA AVAILABILITY DURING THE COMING MONTHS
CHINA E3: There has been an extremely large increase in Employment Third preference applicant demand during the past month. This is due to the “downgrading” of status by applicants who had originally filed in the Employment Second preference. This has resulted in the Third preference final action date being held for the month of June. Continued heavy demand for numbers will require a retrogression of this date no later than August to hold number use within the FY-2017 annual limit.