Visa Bulletin of December 2022
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Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the December 2022 Visa Bulletin. The most notable change in the most recent visa bulletin is extra retrogression in the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category. All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the final action chart (i.e., Chart A) unless otherwise specified.
Employment-based immigrant visa limit for FY 2023
Moreover, in the December Visa Bulletin 2022, the State Department confirms that in FY 2022, around 57,000 family-based immigrant visas went unused. By resolution, these unused family-based immigrant visas are added to the FY 2023 employment-based immigrant visa limit, resulting in an FY 2023 employment-based limit of 197,000 immigrant visas. Also, by examination, the FY 2022 employment-based limit was 281,507.
Commentary on EB-2 retrogression
As projected in the November Visa Bulletin, the Visa Bulletin of December 2022 imposes a cutoff date for overall EB-2 candidates in light of expanded immigrant visa demand. What’s more, the EB-2 India category will also retrogress in December, because of sudden appeal in the EB-1 and EB-2 categories. The State Office says that it will continue to monitor these categories and make any essential adjustments. This implies that further retrogressions can’t be ruled out.
December 2022 Visa Bulletin Summary
According to the State Department’s Dec 2022 Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for the issuance of an immigrant visa will be as follows:
Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category
The EB1 category stays current for all nations of chargeability. However, the DOS alerts, in the coming months, an EB1 cutoff date might become essential for India and China.
Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2) Category
The EB2 India category retrogresses further, moving back to an 8th October 2011 cutoff date. For China, EB2 stays on 8th June 2019. A cutoff date of 1st November 2022, is set in the EB2 category for any remaining nations of chargeability.
Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Category
EB3 India’s cutoff date advances to 15th June 2012, indeed leaving it with a more favorable cutoff date than its EB2 counterpart. The cutoff date for EB3 China climbs to 1st August 2018. The EB3 class stays current for any remaining nations of chargeability.
EB3 Other Workers
The cutoff date for EB3 different laborers for China is set on 22nd June 2013. Moreover, for India, the cutoff date pushes forward to 15th June 2012. For any remaining nations of chargeability, the cutoff date for EB3 different workers remains set at 1st June 2020.
Employment-Based, Fourth Preference (EB4) Category
The EB4 cutoff date for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras remains set at March 15th, 2018, while the cutoff date for EB4 Mexico is unchanged at 15th September 2020. For any remaining nations of chargeability, a cutoff date of 22nd June 2022, is established in the EB4 category.
Note that the EB4 program for specific religious workers is presently booked to expire after 15th December 2022. If Congress doesn’t extend the program by that date, the EB4 category for specific religious workers will be unavailable, effective 1st December 2022.
[Revised Form N-648 to Help Naturalization Applicants with Disabilities]
Employment-Based, Fifth Preference (EB5) Category
There is no development in the EB5 category. China’s cutoff date for EB5 unreserved (i.e., EB5 immigrant visa numbers not put away for rural, unemployment, and infrastructure projects), remains set at 22nd March 2015. Meanwhile, India’s EB5 unreserved cutoff date stays put at 8th November 2019. EB5 remains current for any remaining EB5 categories and nations of chargeability.
Conclusion
Also, we will continue to closely monitor and report on movement and predictions related to the monthly visa bulletin.
