11/19/2022
To my friends and clients who are waiting for the latest Visa Bulletin from the U.S. State Dept., the December 2022 edition is now out. Go to this website and check the cut-off date/s of the priority dates for the family- or employment-based petition/s you are tracking. Due to recent changes, the FILING DATES are earlier than the FINAL ACTION DATES for most categories, to allow applicants in the U.S. to apply for their green cards even if the priority dates for their respective family-based petitions are not yet current.
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Bulletins/visabulletin_December2022.pdf
For Philippine-born visa applicants, once more, ALL of the Final Dates cut-off for both the Family and Employment categories DID NOT MOVE forward. The Filing Dates for the Family categories remain stuck at the dates set previously in April 2022, to:
F1: 04-22-15
F2A: Current
F2B: 10-01-13
F3: 11-08-03
F4: 04-22-04
For the F2A category, the final dates for December 2022 remained Current (same as Worldwide) and remained unchanged for the other family-based categories (F1, F2B, F3 and F4).
For Philippine-born visa applicants, the cut-off for Final Dates, in EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and EB-4 Employment-based categories in December 2022, remain unchanged from the previous month (November). For the Other Worker (Unskilled) category, the cut-off date, June 1, 2020, established earlier, did not move this month (November 2022) and continues to be frozen into December 2022. Still, a good sign for future workers planning careers in America.
The cut-off for the FINAL ACTION DATES of the Family- and Employment-Based categories for December 2022 are summarized as follows:
F1: 03-01-12 (no change)
F2A: Current (same as worldwide, unchanged from the previous month)
F2B: 10-22-11 (no change)
F3: 06-08-02 (no change, forward or backward)
F4: 08-22-02 (no change)
EB1: Current (unchanged since October 2020, same as worldwide)
EB2: 11-01-22 (unchanged since November 2022, same as worldwide)
EB3: CURRENT (unchanged since October 2020 , same as worldwide)
EW: 06-01-20 (unchanged from October 2022, same as worldwide)
EB4: 06-22-22 (unchanged since November 2022)
Note: For EB-3 beneficiaries of approved employment-based petitions who are physically present in the U.S., they MAY BE ABLE to file stateside for their green cards right away because priority dates remain Current, unless delayed by the USCIS. Those abroad should contact their nearest consulates or embassies now.
In recent months, the USCIS announced that beneficiaries of family-based petitions may use the FILING DATE for their petitions to apply for their green cards stateside. Wait for announcements towards the end of this month (November 2022), if the same policy would be continued in December.
The new administration has revoked or cancelled the Presidential Proclamations banning the immigration of most aliens. Check with your respective Embassies if your case is ready for scheduling or if an appointment date had been set for your interview. We continue to receive a deluge of scheduled interviews in recent months, so remember to check your case periodically.
The Biden administration is trying to expedite the issuance of employment-based immigrant visas. If your priority date is earlier than the established cut-off dates, contact your lawyer/s and/or the US Embassy or consular post nearest your usual place of residence without further delay. There’s still time, even though it is running out fast.
Call our office (212) 244-3375 during regular office hours if you have any questions or need legal assistance in any way. Or send an email message to our office via: [email protected] for more detailed info.
