Visa Bulletin For February 2023
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The February 2023 Visa Bulletin has been released by the US Department of State (DOS). From the previous month, the employment-based categories show almost no change. Unless otherwise noted, the cutoff dates are taken from the final action chart (Chart A).
EB-3 Other Workers retrogression for all countries except India and China
Significant retrogressions will take effect in February as a result of increased usage in the EB-3 Other Workers category for all nations, except for India and China. The Final Action cutoff date for all countries except India and China in the EB-3 Other Workers category will retrogress by five months to 1st January 2020, and the Dates for Filing cutoff date will retrogress by more than two and a half years to 1st February 2020.
The cutoff dates for employment-based categories do not change in the February Dates for Filing chart. Except for the worldwide EB-3 Other Workers retrogression which is discussed further down.
February 2023 Visa Bulletin Summary
The following are the Final Action cutoff dates for the approval of an adjustment of status application or the issuance of an immigrant visa, as stated in the State Department’s February Visa Bulletin 2023:
Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category
EB1 China and India both remain with a cutoff date of 1st February 2022. Also, the category remains current for all chargeability nations.
Employment-Based, Second Preference (EB2) Category
The EB2 category has not changed once more. The cutoff date for EB2 India remains 8th October 2011, while the cutoff date for EB2 China remains 8th June 2019. The EB2 cutoff date for all other countries of chargeability is 1st November 2022.
Employment-Based, Third Preference (EB3) Category
The EB3 category also sees no change from last month’s visa bulletin. The cutoff date for EB3 India remains 15th June 2012. The cutoff date for EB3 China continues to be 1st August 2018. For all other countries with chargeability, the EB3 category remains current.
EB3 Other Workers
The cutoff date for EB3 other workers in China remains 22nd December 2013. Also, the cutoff date for India remains 15th June 2012. For all other countries of chargeability, the cutoff date for EB3 other workers retrogresses to 1st January 2020.
Employment-Based, Fourth Preference (EB4) Category
The fact that Congress extended the program for certain religious workers until 30th September 2023 is the most significant EB4 news. Aside from that, there has been no movement in the EB4 category. For El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the EB4 cutoff date remains 15th March 2018. The 15th September 2020 cutoff date for EB4 Mexico remains unchanged. The EB4 cutoff date for all other countries with chargeability remains 22nd June 2022.
[Wait time for US student visa appointments in Hyderabad is now almost a year]
Employment-Based, Fifth Preference (EB5) Category
There is no movement in the EB5 category. China has maintained March 22nd, 2015 as the cutoff date for EB5 unreserved (i.e., EB5 immigrant visa numbers not reserved for rural, high unemployment, and infrastructure projects). The unrestricted EB5 cutoff date for India remains 8th November 2019. All other EB5 categories and chargeability countries remain current.
Conclusion
Moreover, we will keep an eye on the monthly visa bulletin’s movement and predictions and provide regular updates.
