USCIS will use Final Action chart in March 2021, reflecting a seven-month jump for EB-1 priority date cutoff for China and India.
The US Department of State has released its March 2021 Visa Bulletin, outlining per-country priority date cutoffs that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of adjustment of status application and consular immigrant visa application filings and approvals.
The bulletin includes both a Dates for Filing Visa Applications chart and an Application Final Action Dates chart. The former indicates when intending immigrants may file their applications for adjustments of status or immigrant visas, and the latter indicates when adjustment of status applications or immigrant visa applications may be approved and permanent residence granted.
Each month, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) chooses which chart it will follow. For March 2021, the USCIS will follow the “Final Action” for Employment-Based Visa Applications chart for employment-based (EB) filings for adjustment of status. This means that individuals seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with USCIS in March 2021 must use the Final Action chart below.
To be eligible to file an EB adjustment application in March 2021, a foreign national must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed below for his or her preference category and country.
The “C” listing indicates that the category is current, and that applications may be filed regardless of the applicant’s priority date. The listing of a date for any category indicates that only applicants with a priority date that is earlier than the listed date may file their applications.
|
Employment |
All Charge-ability Areas Except Those Listed |
China- |
El Salvador |
India |
Mexico |
Philippines |
Vietnam |
|
1st |
C |
01AUG20 (was 01JAN20) |
C |
01AUG20 (was 01JAN20) |
C |
C |
C |
|
2nd |
C |
15JUL16 (was 15JUN16) |
C |
15 JAN10 (was 12OCT09) |
C |
C |
C |
|
3rd |
C |
08FEB18 (was 01JAN18)) |
C |
01JUL10 (was 01APR10) |
C |
C |
C |
|
Other Workers |
C |
01MAY09 (was 01APR09) |
C |
01JUL10 (was 01APR10) |
C |
C |
C |
|
4th |
C |
C |
01JUN18 (was 15APR18) |
C |
01JAN19 (was 15DEC18) |
C |
C |
The priority date cutoff for China and India for the first employment-based categories (EB-1) advanced by seven months, to August 1, 2020.
The EB-2 priority date cutoff for China advanced by one month to July 15, 2016, and the EB-2 priority date cutoff for India advanced by three months to January 15, 2010.
The EB-3 priority date cutoff for China advanced by five weeks to February 8, 2018, and the EB-3 priority date cutoff for India advanced by three months to July 1, 2010. Cutoff dates for persons chargeable to the “Rest of the World” allocation continue to be current, regardless of EB category. This means that all persons chargeable to this allocation may continue to file adjustment status applications in March 2021.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the issues discussed in this alert, please contact any of the following Morgan Lewis lawyers:
Washington, DC
Shannon A. Donnelly
Eleanor Pelta
Eric S. Bord
Miami
Laura C. Garvin