VISA Bulletin Data Dashboard
(This tool is optimized for bigger screens. If possible, visualize the graph on your laptop, or just turn your phone screen)
Understanding the Visa Bulletin: Your Guide to Navigating Green Card Applications
If you’re on the path to securing a green card in the U.S., you’ve probably heard of the Visa Bulletin.
Published monthly by the U.S. Department of State, this document reveals the availability of immigrant visa numbers (green cards) each month. Essentially, it tells you when you can proceed with your green card application. Let’s break it down and make it easy to understand!
Key Components of the Visa Bulletin
Priority Dates: This is the date your immigrant petition or labor certification was filed. Think of it as your spot in line for a visa.
Final Action Dates: This is when USCIS will issue your Green Card.
Dates for Filing: This is when you can submit your application;
Well, that’s in theory! In practice, every month, the Department of Status chooses one of the two tables (Final Action Dates or Dates for filling) and goes with that one for the month.
Categories of Immigrant Visas
The Visa Bulletin is divided into two main sections: Family-Sponsored Preferences and Employment-Based Preferences. Here’s a quick rundown of each:
Family-Sponsored Preferences:
F1: Unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens
F2A: Spouses and children of permanent residents
F2B: Unmarried adult children of permanent residents
F3: Married children of U.S. citizens
F4: Siblings of adult U.S. citizens
Employment-Based Preferences:
EB-1: Priority workers (extraordinary abilities, outstanding professors, researchers, executives)
EB-2: Advanced degree professionals and individuals with exceptional ability
EB-3: Skilled workers, professionals, and other workers
EB-4: Special immigrants (religious workers, certain employees of U.S. foreign service posts)
EB-5: Investors in new commercial enterprises
How to Use the INLG Visa Bulletin Graph
Our personalized Visa Bulletin graph can be used for any of the categories cited above and for any country of birth. By selecting your specifications, the graph will give you a timeline of your situation’s Visa Bulletin dates.
You can access this graph by clicking on the Visa Bulletin blog post. There, you will have a few custom fields from which to pick. First, on Type, you will choose between Employment Based or Family Based, and, in Category, you will pick between 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th – for EB, and 1st, 2A, 2B, 3rd, and 4th – for FB.
You will also pick your country of birth among the options available – China, India, Mexico, Philippines, or any other that was singled out; or “All Other Chargebility Areas”, which is the category that encompasses all other territories.
Beware! If you change your Type, Category, or Date and the graph automatically does not offer you the option of the specific Country of Birth you were using before, it means that, under those circumstances, your nationality was included in “All Chargeability Areas” – as the options are not static for every situation.
You will also pick your Starting Date and FInal Date of Analysis. You can compare dates from full decades or just a single month—it’s up to you, but they are all available! There are also buttons for quicker configuration of the dates, “Last Year,” “Last 3 Years,” and “Last Five Years.”
The graph is also updated monthly as soon as the next Visa Bulletin is released by the USCIS. Try it out and enjoy this new exclusive feature provided by INLG!
For personalized assistance, contact us at Immigration and Nationality Law Group.
We’re here to help you every step of the way.
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