The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published the monthly Visa Bulletin for January 2024 revealing forward movement in many categories. While most of the forward movement was only moderate, there were some significant advancements. 

Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates remain current in the EB-1 category for all countries of birth except China (PRC) and India, which continue to show backlogs; however, the backlogs did improve. Both Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates improved moderately for individuals born in China, but for those born in India, they moved forward significantly, gaining at least some ground back from the massive retrogression the category experienced in the August 2023 Visa Bulletin. 

In the EB-2 category, the Date for Filing for India remained the same, but the remaining EB-2 dates and countries of birth moved forward moderately. In the EB-3 category, Dates of Filing remained mostly unchanged except for China, which saw nearly a year of forward movement. EB-3 Final Action Dates moved forward across the board ranging between one and eight months. All Dates for Filing in the “Other Workers” category remained unchanged. Final Action Dates in the “Other Workers” category remained unchanged for those born in the Philippines and moved forward by one month for all other countries of birth except China, which saw significant forward movement of one year. 

The EB-5 Unreserved category continues to show backlogs in the Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates for individuals born in China and India. The Dates for Filing for both countries of birth remain unchanged, but the Final Action Dates moved forward by over two months for China and nearly two years for India. All other EB-5 categories and countries of birth are current on both the Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates. 

USCIS has confirmed on its website that beneficiaries of employment-based immigrant petitions should use the Dates for Filing to determine eligibility to file adjustment of status (“green card”) applications. The chart below indicates the changes in the January 2024 Visa Bulletin relative to the December 2023 Visa Bulletin:

Foster LLP will continue to track immigrant visa availability and provide updates about any developments via Immigration Updates©, articles, and blogs on our website at www.fosterglobal.com.