The visa bulletin for July 2013 has just been published. No, the priority dates for EB-2 India still have not advanced. However, the visa bulletin does include some interesting forecasts for the August and September 2013 visa bulletins. Specifically:

• It is predicted that the F2A category (in the realm of family-based immigration; this includes Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents) could become current in the coming months.
• It is likely that the EB-2 category for “worldwide” will stay current through September. This is great news; last year it retrogressed in the summer.
• EB-2 China may move up one to two months
• EB-2 India may actually advance in the next few months! It is not predicted to become current, and right now we don’t know exactly how much it will advance, but it is expected to move forward!
• EB-3 India may advance up to three weeks, and EB-3 Philippines may advance by up to two weeks. The rest of the EB-3 numbers will probably remain the same.

What Does This Mean for You?

What can you do to take advantage of this potentially great news? Take the following steps:

1. Check your priority date. If you already have an approved petition, make sure the priority date is listed correctly on the petition (if it is not, you will want to have that corrected as it’s tremendously important in documenting when you are eligible to file for permanent residence).
2. If you have already filed the I-485 and the priority date has since retrogressed, but the priority date becomes current in the coming months, make sure USCIS acts on the application. If you hired an attorney for your I-485, they can actually send an email to the service center to remind USCIS that the priority date is current.
3. If you fall into one of the following categories, make sure to gather the documents required for the permanent residence application. If you need a checklist please send an email to info@sumnerimmigration.com and indicate if you plan to do consular processing (from outside the US) or adjustment of status (applying from within the US). However, please do not obtain the medical exam or photos yet. These are valid for only a certain amount of time, and you would not want to waste money in case they expire before you actually file. Those categories are:
   • If you have an approved I-140 petition or I-130 petition but have not yet filed the I-485;
   • If you have not yet filed the I-140 petition but have an approved labor certification, or if your I-140 petition is pending with USCIS;
   • If you have started the labor certification process but it is not yet complete.
4. If you think your priority date may still not become current this year, consider different options for making the magic happen! Check out the options at this post: https://www.sumnerimmigration.com/immigration-blog/business-based-immigration/2012/05/help-i-think-my-priority-date-may-never-become-current/.
5. If you are not sure what a priority date is, or if you have one, check out this post: https://www.sumnerimmigration.com/immigration-blog/permanent-residence-green-cards/2011/09/what-is-a-priority-date/.
6. If you find that your priority date does become current, we are happy to assist with the final step in the permanent residence process, even if we did not prepare the initial stages. Since we anticipate high demand, please contact our offices as soon as you know your date is current to increase the chances that we can accept your case.

Remember, we don’t know exactly how much the dates will advance, and it’s possible your priority date still will not become current this year. Keep the faith, though! Eventually, your priority date will become current. And it’s highly likely that many people will benefit from these changes, and move you closer to your immigration goals!

For more information or to obtain information on the family-based or employer-based permanent residence process, please send an email to attorney Emily Sumner at esumner@sumnerimmigration.com.