Change:

May 2017 Visa Bulletin

For April 2017 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2017/visa-bulletin-april-2017.aspx

For analysis of May 2017 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2017/visa-bulletin-analysis-may-2017.aspx

May 2017 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from May 1 to May 31 only). Please see below for more details.

Family Based:
Final Action Dates
Dates For Filing Applications
"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored 
All Chargeability 
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-mainland 
born
INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES 
F1 08DEC10 08DEC10 08DEC10 15JUN95  01FEB06
F2A 15JUL15 15JUL15 15JUL15 22JUN15 15JUL15
F2B 01OCT10 01OCT10 01OCT10 01FEB96 01AUG06
F3 15JUN05 15JUN05 15JUN05 22JAN95 22SEP94
F4 08MAY04 08MAY04 08SEP03 01JUL97 15OCT93
"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored 
All Chargeability 
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-
mainland 
born
INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES 
F1 22JUL11 22JUL11 22JUL11 01APR96 08SEP07
F2A 08APR16 08APR16 08APR16  08APR16  08APR16
F2B 01SEP11 01SEP11 01SEP11 08AUG96 22JUL07
F3 01DEC05 01DEC05 01DEC05 01MAY95 01FEB95
F4 15NOV04 15NOV04 22JUN04 08JAN98 08FEB95

Employment Based:
Final Action Dates
Dates For Filing Applications
"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.
Employment-
based
All Chargeability 
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-
mainland 
born
EL SALVADOR
GUATEMALA
HONDURAS
INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES
1st C C C C C C
2nd C 08FEB13 C 22JUN08 C C
3rd 15MAR17  01OCT14 15MAR17  25MAR05  15MAR17   01JAN13
Other Workers 15MAR17  08MAR06 15MAR17 25MAR05 15MAR17 01JAN13
4th C C 15JUL15 C 15JUL15 C
Certain Religious Workers U U U U U U
5th Non-Regional Center
(C5 and T5)
C 01JUN14 C C C C
5th Regional Center
(I5 and R5)
U U U U U U
"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.
Employment-
based
All Chargeability 
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-
mainland 
born
INDIA MEXICO  PHILIPPINES 
1st C C C C C
2nd C 01OCT13 01FEB09  C C
3rd C 01SEP15 22APR06 C 01JUL14
Other Workers C 01JUN08 22APR06 C 01JUL14
4th C C C C C
Certain Religious Workers C C C C C
5th Non-Regional Center
(C5 and T5)
C 01SEP14 C C C
5th Regional Center
(I5 and R5)
C 01SEP14 C C C

Special Notice from USCIS:(Show/Hide)

D.  VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES

During the past six weeks the level of Employment-based First and Second preference demand for adjustment of status cases filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has increased dramatically.  Continued heavy demand for numbers will require corrective action to hold number use within these annual limits.

Employment First Preference: A Final Action Date will be established for both CHINA-mainland born and INDIA in the near future.  Once such a date has been established, there is some chance that it might advance slowly through September. The date for these countries will once again become CURRENT for October, the first month of fiscal year 2018. 

Employment Second Preference:  Worldwide, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the Philippines can be expected to become oversubscribed no later than July. It is possible that there could be some forward movement of the established Final Action Date by September.  The date for these countries will once again become CURRENT for October, the first month of fiscal year 2018.

E.  SCHEDULED EXPIRATION OF TWO EMPLOYMENT VISA CATEGORIES

Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR): 

Pursuant to the continuing resolution signed on December 10, 2016, the non-minister special immigrant program expires on April 28, 2017.  No SR visas may be issued overseas, or final action taken on adjustment of status cases, after midnight April 27, 2017. Visas issued prior to this date will only be issued with a validity date of April 27, 2017, and all individuals seeking admission as a non-minister special immigrant must be admitted (repeat, admitted) into the U.S. no later than midnight April 27, 2017.

The final action date for this category has been listed as “Unavailable” for May.  If there is legislative action extending this category for FY-2017, the final action date would immediately become “Current” for May for all countries except El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico which would be subject to a July 15, 2015 final action date.  

Employment Fifth Preference Categories (I5 and R5):

The continuing resolution signed on December 10, 2016 extended this immigrant investor pilot program until April 28, 2017. The I5 and R5 visas may be issued until close of business on April 28, 2017, and may be issued for the full validity period. No I5 or R5 visas may be issued overseas, or final action taken on adjustment of status cases, after April 28, 2017.

The final action dates for the I5 and R5 categories have been listed as “Unavailable” for May.  If there is legislative action extending them for FY-2017, the final action dates would immediately become “Current” for May for all countries except China-mainland born I5 and R5 which would be subject to a June 1, 2014 final action date.  

F.   SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA AVAILABILITY

The Department expects to exhaust the Special Immigrant Visas allocated by Congress under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009, as amended, not later than June 1, 2017.  As a result, the Final Action Date for the SQ category for certain Afghan nationals employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government in Afghanistan will become “Unavailable” effective June 2017.  No further interviews for Afghan principal applicants in the SQ category will be scheduled after March 1, 2017, and further issuances will not be possible after May 30, 2017. 

The SQ category for certain Iraqi nationals employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government in Iraq is not affected and remains current, though the application deadline was September 30, 2014. 

The FY-2017 annual limit of 50 Special Immigrant Visas in the SI category was reached in December 2016 and the Final Action Date remains “Unavailable.”  As included in the January 2017 Visa Bulletin, further issuances in the SI category will not be possible until October 2017, under the FY-2018 annual limit.


Also See:

More Options: If you are new to immigration process or would like to see what other immigration options are available, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/immigration/

Email Newsletter: To receive email as soon as latest visa bulletin is released, please click here.

When Can I Get My Green Card: Get step-by-step details on when you can expect to get your green card (including latest timeframe for each step of GC process for both EB and FB categories).

USCIS/NVC Timeframe: Please click here to see how long it currently takes to process application.

Current Step: If your priority date is not current, then you can calculate when it may become current, check your case status, case processing time, etc: https://www.mygcvisa.com/calculator

Next Steps: If priority date is current and

1. If applicant is inside US, they will have to file I-485: https://blog.mygcvisa.com/2013/04/how-to-file-i-485-application.html

2. If applicant is outside US, it will be sent to NVC: https://www.mygcvisa.com/nvc/overview-after-nvc-petition-approved.aspx

Recommended Reading:

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