The Department of State has just issued the August 2016 Visa Bulletin. This is the eleventh Visa Bulletin of Fiscal Year 2016. As the fiscal year winds down, the last few Visa Bulletins always have some surprises.
This Visa Bulletin is no exception. Some dates progressed favorably. Other dates retrogressed. Rest assured that these changes are temporary.
In this Visa Bulletin, the US DOS confirmed that everything will go back to “normal” on October 1, 2016, the start of the next fiscal year.
This Visa Bulletin is no exception. Some dates progressed favorably. Other dates retrogressed. Rest assured that these changes are temporary.
In this Visa Bulletin, the US DOS confirmed that everything will go back to “normal” on October 1, 2016, the start of the next fiscal year.
August 2016 Visa Bulletin
Final Action Dates
Applications with these dates may be approved for their Green Card (Permanent Residency card).
| Employment- based |
All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed |
CHINA- mainland born |
INDIA | MEXICO | PHILIPPINES |
| 1st | C | 01JAN10 | 01JAN10 | C | C |
| 2nd | 01FEB14 | 01JAN10 | 15NOV04 | 01FEB14 | 01FEB14 |
| 3rd | 15MAR16 | 01JAN10 | 08NOV04 | 15MAR16 | 15MAY09 |
MU Law Analysis
All Other: The EB-2 has been current for many years. The retrogression of the EB-2 category simply means that the DOS approved more cases than it expected to in FY2016. The EB-3 moved forward by two weeks. These dates continue to be very favorable. We expect that All Other dates will continue to be positive for the foreseeable future, starting on October 1, 2016.
China: A note in this month’s Visa Bulletin indicates that these dates will stay at January 2010 for the September 2010’s Visa Bulletin.
India: EB-3 moved ahead a few weeks. But the EB-2 remained stuck in 2004. We expect the India EB-2 to stay in 2004 until the October 2016 Visa Bulletin at which time it should steadily move forward.
India: EB-3 moved ahead a few weeks. But the EB-2 remained stuck in 2004. We expect the India EB-2 to stay in 2004 until the October 2016 Visa Bulletin at which time it should steadily move forward.
Mexico: Mirrors All Other in all aspects.
Philippines: EB-3 moved ahead three more months. The note in this month’s Visa Bulletin indicated that the EB-3 date should move through 2009 and may move into 2010 by September, as MU Law has been expecting. (Our note from May 2016: “MU Law believes that Philippines EB-3 will continue to steadily move forward in the coming months. We expect it to move into 2009 in the by early summer, and may reach 2010 by the end of this fiscal year.”). The enactment of a Feb 2014 in EB-2 is of no concern. Philippine EB-2 will be current in October 2016.