November 2007 Visa Bulletin : Summary and Analysis
Posted Oct 12, 2007
©MurthyDotCom
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for November 2007 was recently released. The Employment-Based (EB) categories remain unchanged from the visa dates published in the October 2007 Visa Bulletin. Thus, those categories that were current remain current. Those categories with cutoff dates continue to have the same cutoff dates. A summary of the October Visa Bulletin was provided for MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers on September 14, 2007. Since the dates remain unchanged, please refer to that earlier article, October 2007 Visa Bulletin. [The most recent DOS Visa Bulletin chart is always available on MurthyDotCom. For the convenience of readers, the previous month's Visa Bulletin chart is also available for reference.]
©MurthyDotCom
Rash of I-485 Filings in July / August 2007 Causes Stagnation
©MurthyDotCom
The explanation for this stagnation is that the cutoff dates in the Visa Bulletin are based upon actual and anticipated demand for the limited supply of visa numbers. There was an enormous number of I-485 Adjustment of Status cases filed in June, July, and August 2007, because the cut off dates moved forward significantly in June 2007 and, then, were current in most EB categories under the July 2007 Visa Bulletin. It is too early in this fiscal year (2008) to determine the impact of all of the filings, in terms of demand for visa numbers. Thus, it appears that the DOS is setting the cutoff dates very conservatively. They state that they may be able to move the dates forward somewhat in December 2007.
©MurthyDotCom
Allocation of Visa Numbers Only at Time of I-485 Approval
©MurthyDotCom
MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers are reminded that pending I-485 Adjustment of Status cases cannot be approved without available visa numbers. Even though many cases were filed in the past, when the Visa Bulletin reflected availability in the particular category, this does not mean that a number has been allocated or assigned to that case. Additionally, I-485s cannot be filed without available visa numbers. This applies to both primary applicants and any dependant family members. There are many spouses who have to wait to file their I-485s, even if the primary applicants in these cases had already filed their I-485s at the particular time the EB category was current for the short timeframe.
©MurthyDotCom
The December 2007 Visa Bulletin, which, as mentioned above, may reflect some forward movement in cutoff dates, will be issued in early to mid November 2007.