The Department of State has just issued the September 2016 Visa Bulletin.  This is the twelfth and final 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. 

Readers should rest assured that everything will go back to “normal” on October 1, 2016, the start of the next fiscal year.

September 2016 Visa Bulletin

Final Action Dates

Applications with these dates may be approved for their Green Card (Permanent Residency card).

Employ-
ment
based
All Charge-
ability 
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-
mainland 
born
INDIA
MEXICO
PHILIPPINES
1st
C
01JAN10
01JAN10
C
C
2nd
01FEB14
01JAN10
22FEB05 
01FEB14
01FEB14
3rd
01MAY16 
01JAN10
15FEB05
01MAY16 
01JUL10

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 months.  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:   These dates mirror the August 2016’s Visa Bulletin.  We expect positive movement in October 2016.

India:  EB-3 moved ahead by ten weeks as did EB-2.  The DOS is trying to make sure that all available Indian immigrant visas are used.  

Mexico: Mirrors All Other in all aspects.

Philippines: EB-3 moved ahead by ten months, into 2010.  This is what we have expected.  (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 Feb 2014 retrogression date for EB-2 should be of no concern for those in this category.  Philippine EB-2 will be current in October 2016.