The U.S. Department of State ("DOS") recently released its November 2013 Visa Bulletin. Although the government's Fiscal Year 2014 commenced on October 1, 2013, the DOS continues to advance some of the employment-based immigrant visa categories in order to ensure that demand continues so that the available numbers in these categories are fully used. In the November 2013 Visa Bulletin, the DOS continues to significantly advance the EB-3 World category (which currently has the same cutoff date for the EB-3 Chinese national and Mexican national categories) from July 1, 2010 to October 1, 2010. At this time, the EB-3 Chinese national category is more advanced than the EB-2 Chinese national preference category which has been set at October 8, 2008. The DOS indicated that although it is rapidly advancing the EB-3 Chinese national category, this category may retrogress in the future if there is a sudden increase in demand. Both the EB-2 Indian national category and the EB-3 Indian national category do not advance in the November 2013 Visa Bulletin. The EB-2 Indian national category remains at June 15, 2008 after significantly advancing in the past six months. The EB-3 Indian national category remains at September 22, 2003. Also, the EB-3 Filipino national category remains at December 16, 2006.
The following is a comparison of the movement of the employment-based immigrant visa categories since the inception of the current retrogression:
Click here to view table.
Additional information about movement in the employment-based immigrant visa categories will be contained in our firm's future Immigration Update when it becomes available.
