The U.S. Department of State ("DOS") recently issued its Visa Bulletin for May 2011. The Bulletin determines who can apply for U.S. permanent residence and when. The cutoff dates for family-based immigration continue to show backlogs and regressions due to the heavy demand for these visas. The cutoff dates for the Employment-Based Third Preference category are as follows: August 22, 2005, for all chargeability, including the Philippines; April 15, 2004, for China; September 8, 2004, for Mexico; and April 15, 2002, for India. The cut-off dates for the Employment-Based Second Preference category are as follows: Current for all chargeability, including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines; July 1, 2006, for India; and August 1, 2006, for China. The DOS's monthly Visa Bulletin is available at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html.