May 2014 Visa Bulletin
17 Apr 2014The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued the May 2014 Visa Bulletin. There is little to cheer for in this month’s bulletin, with no unexpected forward movement in any of the categories. Further, the DOS again warns that retrogression may be necessary for the family-based, second preference “A” (FB2A) category.
Family-Based, Second Preference “A” (FB2A)
The FB2A category for spouses and (unmarried, minor) children of lawful permanent residents (LPRs or “green card” holders) remains unchanged. Every country but Mexico has a cutoff date of September 8, 2013. The cutoff date for Mexico is September 1, 2013.
The DOS notes that it may have to roll back the cutoff date for worldwide chargeability in this category within the next few months if demand continues at its current rate. The DOS expects to have to take the same step in this category for Mexican chargeability in order to keep the visa number usage within the allowed annual limits.
Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2)
The EB2 category stays current, except for India and China. Unfortunately, India’s cutoff date remains unchanged at November 15, 2004. The cutoff date for China moves forward by about 5 weeks to April 15, 2009.
Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3)
The EB3 cutoff date for the worldwide category, China, and Mexico remain unchanged at October 1, 2012. India advances by a few weeks to October 1, 2003. The cutoff date for the Philippines moves up by over four months to November 1, 2007.
Other Workers Category
The cutoff dates in the EB3 other workers category match the general EB3 cutoff dates.
Conclusion
The only predictions provided in this visa bulletin are for the FB2A category. Typically, the oversubscribed countries of India and, to a lesser extent, China advance as the end of the fiscal year approaches. The fiscal year ends on September 30th, thus there is often forward movement due to a shifting of excess visa numbers, starting in June or July. Stakeholders will have to wait and see whether the same pattern holds true this year. Stay tuned to MurthyDotCom for future visa bulletin updates.
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