Each month a representative from the American Immigration Lawyers Association meets with Charlie Oppenheim, the man behind the visa bulletin curtain, to get a sense of how the priority dates may advance (or not!) in the coming months. In October's meeting, Charlie made the following observations and predictions:

• Family-based preference categories: All of the final action dates have advanced, except FB-1 and FB-3 for Mexico.
• EB-1: Charlie expects the priority dates to advance in December for EB-1 China, India, and Worldwide, but they will not become current in 2018. He also predicts that it is possible that the EB-1 worldwide may not become current for the foreseeable future. This represents a significant change as that category is historically current, meaning a person can concurrently file the I-140 and I-485, for that particular category.
• EB-2 and EB-3 China: The priority dates for these categories for November are 5/15/2015 and 6/1/2015 respectively - very close together. Charlie expects EB-2 China to continue to advance but notes heavy demand for EB-3 China, meaning these dates may not advance as quickly.
• EB-2 and EB-3 India: Sadly, these dates (final action dates) remain the same for November, and Charlie anticipates forward movement of only a week in December for EB-2 India. However, he notes less demand for the EB-3 India category, so there may be more significant advancement for EB-3 India priority dates in December - he says it may be weeks or possibly months! He also notes that it is possible that EB-3 India priority dates could pass the EB-2 India dates. Please note that in some cases where you have an EB-2 India I-140 petition approved, it is possible to "downgrade" and file an EB-3 I-140 petition (without having to file a new PERM), so as to take advantage of the EB-3 priority dates. Please contact our office for more information on this.

Finally, please note that USCIS is using the "dates for filing" dates for adjustment of status filings for the month of November, for both family-based and employment-based cases.

Do you need assistance with a family-based or employment-based immigration matter? Please contact our office today to see how we may be able to assist you! We are immigration lawyers located in Richmond, VA but we serve clients throughout the U.S. and around the world. Please call us at 804-396-3412 or email us at info@sumnerimmigration.com. We look forward to hearing from you!