The AILA Department of State liaison committee has recently met with Charlie Oppenheim, the man behind the curtain of the visa bulletin. This is a summary of what Charlie's visa bulletin crystal ball is saying right now:

Family-Based Categories:

FB-2A Worldwide is current for the month of July! However, keep in mind that there are two different family-based charts - dates for filing and final action dates. If you are planning to file the I-485 from within the US, you must check the USCIS website to see which chart they are using to accept I-485 filings. For the month of July 2019, USCIS is using the dates for filing chart. That means that even if your priority date is current per the final action dates chart, you can only file the I-485 if your priority date is current in the dates for filing chart. This changes each month, so be sure to double-check before you file.

Charlie anticipates FB-2A worldwide to be current the rest of the fiscal year (the fiscal year ends September 30, 2019).

Likewise, Charlie anticipates that FB-3 and FB-4 for Philippines will continue to advance quickly.

Employment-Based Categories:

EB-1 India is not likely to move forward again this fiscal year. It should return to a final action date of Feb. 22, 2017 in October 2019.

EB-2 worldwide is expected to remain current through the end of this fiscal year. The same is true for EB-3 worldwide.

EB-2 India will continue to advance slowly, in days or maybe a week at a time.

EB-2 China will continue to advance (it is November 1, 2016 for July 2019).

EB-3 China is seeing increased demand, but Charlie may be able to shift unused numbers from other categories to this category.

The entire green card process can take years, so it’s important to develop a comprehensive immigration strategy to achieve your goals. Don’t have a priority date yet? Contact Sumner Immigration Law to set a consultation to create your strategy today! We are immigration lawyers located in Richmond, VA but we serve clients throughout the U.S. and around the world. You can call us at 804-396-3412 or send us an email to info@sumnerimmigration.com.